


Time To Say Goodbye

by LadyIrina



Series: The Mandalorian, his son and the Storm Trooper [12]
Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Found Family, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, King Oblivious, M/M, ManDadlorian, Most of them have some kind of ptsd really, Pining, Touch-Starved Din, bring on the tropes, little green bean continues to be a danger with his adorableness, reformed Storm Trooper
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:54:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 54,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28136529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyIrina/pseuds/LadyIrina
Summary: Over a year ago CT-113 was forced to his knees as he was about to be executed.Today Corin is a very different man, thanks to Din Djarin and their little Foundling and he's finally found his home with them.So things should be good, right? Unfortunately they still have to deal with an unknown fiancé, evil Hutts, people who will do whatever it takes to get the darksaber, and bad luck descending on their friends...Is there such a thing as a happy goodbye?
Relationships: Corin the Stormtrooper (Rescue and Regret)/Din Djarin, Paz Vizsla/Original Female Character(s), Paz/Raga, Zev/Leo
Series: The Mandalorian, his son and the Storm Trooper [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1560925
Comments: 550
Kudos: 566





	1. Chapter 1

[ ](https://imgbb.com/)

-

_GORGEOUS art by the art deity cac0daemonia! At the end of H &R, Din makes Corin see how much he means to him and the little one. The truth about the pauldron is revealed and Corin finally knows its significance; he's carrying Din's heart. As Caco does mine with these masterpieces that are just beautiful for my words to do them justice! The tension in Din's posture, the reflections in his armor, the folds in the clothing, Corin's teal shirt (I stand by them shoulder blades being a main contributing cause of my death), his hair is always worth an essay of its own, his stunned look, his arms, his hands, ngh, yes! And then, of course, the drawing! The drawing!! The paper looks perfectly crumpled, perfectly singed, and the art itself? Beyond perfection! Clearly a child's work, and yet there is no mistaking who the three souls drawn there are! *flails and falls over with endless love* I can only ask that you, dear readers, all unleash your love on cac0daemonia's page on AO3 as well! She grants us her time, blood and sweat and tears with these masterpieces and deserves all the love <3 <3 <3_

-

**TIME TO SAY GOODBYE**

_This chapter is dedicated to Caco, Sprungish and Shiro, the Discord crew, the AO3 commenters, the Tumblr gang; everyone who voted for a triology!_

The Razor Crest slides smoothly through the darkness of space on her way towards the planet called Seswenna. Inside the ship, Corin is doing his very best to keep himself busy and not think.  
He picks apart every weapon on board the ship, cleans and reassembles them. Twice. He sharpens every blade and rearranges the grenades in alphabetical order. He cleans and does maintenance on his armor, even on a couple of Din's pieces as well, all with the 'aid' of a well-intentioned child that is constantly getting in his way or doing the chores horribly wrong.  
Corin is certain the little one senses his restlessness and is actually trying to help so he feels gratitude instead of annoyance at the constant hindering and rewards the bean's efforts with soft praise and even softer kisses on the fuzzy head. How can you get angry when it is well meant?

Din is clearly aware of Corin's growing tension too. Why else would he put up with Corin's jittery behavior without a single sharp word of correction?  
He even lets Corin work out in the cockpit. Talk about good luck!

Corin knows Din doesn't like it, he never has, but when Din doesn't order him out when he accidentally ends up doing a couple of sit-ups while he's playing with the child on the floor, Corin decides to push his luck and goes for it.

Din stays quiet, lets Corin burn off his nervous energy with soft grunts and strained groans as he pushes his muscles as hard as his luck, and it helps. For a while. Until Corin discovers he's sitting in his seat, bouncing his knee, or is gnawing at a fingernail until it bleeds, and he has to start again.

After the night cycle, after getting the child his breakfast and them joining Din up in the cockpit where the Mandalorian had insisted on spending the hours while Corin and the child slept, that is when Corin realizes he is too jittery to eat anything himself and just starts working out instead.  
They will arrive at Seswenna later that day. The thought makes him even more twitchy and Corin pushes himself even harder.

Din turns the chair around and stares at him, but he doesn't say a word.

Not even when it gets too warm and Corin wrings off his undershirt and does push-ups with nothing but sweat on his upper body. The helmet merely tilts a little. Clearly good luck has decided to grace Corin. He feels a little guilty for doing this when he knows Din doesn't like it, but he wants to stay near Din and leech on his calm instead of hiding away in the cargo area, alone with his thoughts.

Luckily, Din just remains quiet and keeps his t-visor on Corin. There is no anger. He's leaning back in the pilot seat, legs slightly sprawled, the picture of confidence and Corin feels a stab of envy. What he wouldn't give to look that good.

What is Din's secret? How does he always remain so dignified and stoic? Is there a trick to it? Can it be taught? Or is Corin forever doomed to be a disaster?

Corin never gets the chance to ask.

Suddenly several alarms starts blaring and Din spins his chair around to deal with the threat, which he does by yanking the controls. Hard.

The Razor Crest does a sharp turn.

The child yelps as he goes tumbling out of his seat and Corin throws himself forward to catch him before he hits the floor, this with a faint sense of deja vu. He's not good at much, but good luck has clearly granted Corin a decent talent at playing catch.

The Razor Crest does another sharp buck, shakes and picks up speed, the alarms keep blaring and Din uses a lot of force on the control stick as well as slapping all kinds of buttons. Corin merely curls up protectively around the child, who giggles and waves his little hands in the air, and after a final buck; the ship goes calm again.

Breathing hard, Din stays motionless while Corin cautiously gets up with the child in his arms and looks out through the transparisteel to see what bad luck had nearly bit them. He can't see anything? Swallowing down the shock, Corin inches a little closer to the pilot seat. “Din?”

“Meteors.” Din mumbles, turning some switches on the control panel. “I forgot about...” He lowers his head and sighs. “You two okay?”

Corin glances down at the child, who grins up at him, before looking back at Din. “Yeah, no harm done. I got the impression he thought it was fun.” He dares to take a step closer. “Are you okay?”

Din nods, but he doesn't take his attention away from the control panel. In fact, he keeps a firm focus on it and the dark horizon for the next five hours, ignoring Corin's antics completely.

-

The light bounces off his Beskar pauldrons and breastplate as Corin stands next to the pilot seat where Din is sitting. He has the sleeping child on his right arm and his left hand on the area between Din's neck and shoulder where there is no armor, needing the softer contact as he sees the planet of Seswenna grow increasingly larger in the transparisteel. He can't tell if it looks beautiful or ominous. Good luck or bad luck.

“You ready for this?” Din asks, reaching up and placing his hand over Corin's in a silent gesture of support.

“I'm not sure.” Corin replies. He hasn't been to Seswenna since he was a little boy, when his father came to pick him up to train him to becoming the ultimate soldier. He has spent most of his life trying to avoid his past. “But I have to do it. I won't let that woman ruin any more lives.”

The child twitches a little in his sleep, as if sensing something that it didn't like.

Din nods, giving his hand a light squeeze. “Then let's just hope your Skywalking friend really has nixed that arrest warrant on you.” He still refuses to believe in Marcus' other identity.

Corin glances over at Din, meaning to thank him for being there, for his patience, but instead he sees something that makes his heart jump. The light from the control panel shines through the t-visor and for a moment, Corin sees the contour of... Is that Dins' chin?

It's like Corin's eyes become hyper-focused, able to make out every single detail, from the curve of the chin to the stubble following that line. It is so... human. He can't stop staring, and even though it is only for a couple of seconds, it feels like a small eternity. But then Din turns his head to look as he pushes some buttons and it is gone. When he turns back, the lights have changed and the visor is just dark.  
Corin flicks his gaze back to the planet in front of them. He didn't just see that. No. That's not possible. That didn't happen. He didn't see it.

“Better buckle up the child and then yourself.” Din says, flicking some more buttons. “We're about to enter the atmosphere.”

Corin nods, eager to distract himself from what he had just hallucinated. “Roger that.” He eases the sleeping child into the contraption Liita had set up on the child's designated seat, which probably made the child the safest soul on the ship, and after securing him, he watches the little one sleep for just a moment. The child looks so peaceful and content, trusting them to look after him and keep him safe, which they will. Whatever Seswenna and bad luck throws at them, it will be nothing compared to what they've already been through. What are some rich folks compared to the nightmares they have battled against? He will destroy anything that threatens his family.

Corin looks at the planet in front of them.  
When Macero Valentis had torn him away from his home, Corin had been lost and alone.  
Now he's coming back to Seswenna, no longer alone and no longer afraid. He can do this.

The Razor Crest shakes a little during the transition from the cold vacuum of space to Seswenna's temperate air, but it doesn't take long before it settles once again and Din continues towards the coordinates the lawyer had given them.

Staring out the transparisteel on his left as they fly over the huge capital city, Corin tries to find buildings he recognizes among the tall, sharp shapes and finds only a handful. His memory of this place is faint, barely there, but he had hoped that the place would be familiar to him. He had been born here after all. Corin had spent years of his childhood here. His mother is buried here. His father and uncle would have been buried here if there had been anything left of them to bury...

“Are you sure these are the right coordinates?” Din suddenly asks.

Corin dares to unbuckle himself and gets up to stand next to the pilotseat again to have a look.  
A long line of massive silver buildings in the middle of the city brings a flashback to Corin. He remembers boarding a ship with his father there. These were the private hangars for the richest and most powerful families inside the city while other ships would land in the hangars outside the city, where the standards were lower. “Yeah. This is the place.”

Din hesitates for half a second before he dips the Razor Crest's nose and they head for the largest hangar of them all.  
It's not his father's hangar, that had been further to the left, smaller, so this must be the one used by the Mottis. Figures. His father always said they were terrified that others wouldn't know how rich they were.  
Well, Corin is going to rip that wealth apart.

-

Din lands the ship, insists on carrying the child and actually draws his blaster to hold it in his hand as he walks down the ramp in front of Corin. It's as if he's expecting them to be attacked for landing there? But the lawyer had told Corin it was his now, to park there and someone would meet them.

Still, Corin doesn't argue, figures Din knows best. Though, he refrains from drawing his blaster as he follows Din down the ramp, simply because he can't remember a single incident of unrest in Seswenna. Even his nannies had no problem leaving him outside alone to play.

The hangar is as massive as it had appeared from above, could probably fit over ten Razor Crests on top of each other, and every surface is so clean Corin can actually see his reflection. It is also eerily empty, no other ships and barely any crates, making their footsteps echo through the air. This makes the sound of the droids stored next to the wall coming to life loud, making Corin start as well as the droid-anxious Din, who instantly aims his blaster at them as they wheel towards the Razor Crest.

“Back off.” Din growls when the droids freeze and stare at him with a quizzical beep.

“They are programmed to repair and clean your... ship.” A smooth voice says behind them.

Corin and Din both spin around to face the one who had spoken and finds a slim human woman with immaculate dark brown hair and a slinky dress that probably cost as much as twenty Razor Crests. She gives them a smile that does not reach her eyes and bows down. “Forgive me, Master Corin. My name is Andra. I used to run the house while the Mistress was away.” She remains bowed as she speaks. “I was told you would arrive today. I hope the journey wasn't too strenuous.”

Corin glances over at Din, slightly awkward, but there is no help to be found there as he appears more intent on glaring at the still frozen droids, so Corin looks down at the child instead. 

The little bean is ignoring the woman, busy trying in vain to tweak a bullet free from Din's belt, probably intending to try to eat it. Corin takes that as a good sign. The ignoring the woman part, not the ingesting ammunition bit. If she was bad luck, the child would have reacted.

Clearing his throat, Corin waves a hand and gestures for Andra to straighten up. “At ease. And no need for the 'Master'-bit. Corin is fine. I was told the Valentis house is still empty. Is that right?”

Andra obeys and frowns a little at his question. “That's right.” She smiles again and it is as fake as the previous one. “But surely you intend to stay at the mansion, Master Corin? Everything is ready for you.”

Corin shakes his head. “No, we'll be staying at the Valentis house.”

That finally makes Andra's gaze slide over to linger on Din and she only barely manages to hide the displeased purse to her lips. “Surely there is no need for a bodyguard inside the city? I can make arrangements for him at the worker's town. Or have food brought here, if he prefers to stay with the ship?”

That makes Din forget about the droids and he turns his t-visor towards the woman.

Something tells Corin that the look behind that visor is not a friendly one and he quickly steps between them to defuse and clarify the situation. “He's not my bodyguard. Din is my partner. In every way. And that adorable child in his arms is our Foundling. Understood?”

Andra looks at Corin, her face completely blank, then the fake smile returns and she gives another bow. “Understood, Master Corin.” She straightens again and gestures towards the door at the end of the hangar. “Shall I guide you to the house? I fear I had prepared the mansion for your arrival so I must make some arrangements to bring food and such to you.”

“That's fine.” Corin declares, and they start the walk back to his first home.

They used to call this place The City Of A Million Spires due to the countless spires rising from the buildings, all clambering to appear the tallest. The sounds and smells of the pale city are completely foreign to him, though. Everything is so bright and clean and tidy. And it doesn't take long before Corin realizes that he and Din stick out like sore thumbs. Most of the residents are humans, like them, but they are all wearing fancy and colorful clothing in combination with hairstyles that probably takes hours to create. And few have less than three servants trailing after them.

The helmet makes it so that Din draws more attention than Corin, but the lazily hostile kind instead of harmless curiosity. The Mandalorian ignores them with ease, but the child hunkers down to hide in Din's embrace and lowers his ears with a faint coo of worry.

Corin frowns and realizes that he doesn't like his birthplace very much.  
Hopefully it will be better once they get indoors.

Oh, how wrong he would be. Bad luck was far from done with him that day.

-

The house is much larger than what Corin remembers and he can't help but to stare up at the towering building while Andra unlocks the massive gate that will allow them to enter the garden without climbing the solid gray wall surrounding the property. 

“I will go to the mansion and make preparations.” Andra says once the gates are open and hands Corin the code cylinder. “It won't take long. Perhaps you would like to get freshened up and change out of your travel clothes and into more suitable outfits?”

Din casts a discrete glance down at his clothes.

Corin ignores the barb. He has more important things on his mind. “I suspect the rest of the staff is at the mansion too, yes? Who is in charge of the hiring?”

Andra almost frowns but forces her lips to smile instead. “That would be Mi'lah, Master Corin.”

“Bring Mi'lah to me.” Corin says.

To his surprise, Corin sees genuine fury in Andra's eyes. Pure rage flares up and for a moment he knows, if she could have gotten away with it, Andra would have slit his throat right then and there. Instead, she bows and purrs; “As you wish, Master Corin.”

When the woman walks away, Corin glances over at Din, needing to see if he had picked up on it as well, but he and the child are looking around at the garden instead, the place where Corin had spent many hours playing. Safe but lonely. It's a bittersweet memory.

The place is surprisingly well kept considering the building has been abandoned for so long. The blue grass is neatly trimmed, the fishpond is clean if empty of living creatures, and the twisting trees have grown huge since he had climbed them. The house itself also appears maintained, the smooth cream colored walls without a spot on them, the huge windows shining under the white sky and there isn't a single yellow leaf on the stairs leading up to the entrance.

Corin walks over and starts up the stairs, is about halfway before he hears Din following, and his hands are remarkably steady when he opens the entrance doors with the cylinder. The scent of flowers and cleaning materials greets him.  
He takes one step inside the large, dark hall, pauses, and tries to remember.  
The broad wooden stairway at the opposite side of the hall, which splits in two as it reaches the wall and leads either to the east wing or the west wing, is familiar. So is the small black table in the middle of the hall. Corin can even vaguely remember the vase with the white flowers in it.

Din steps up next to him and sighs. “So... this is home?”

Corin almost smiles. “No.” He looks over at him, at the child. “Not anymore.”

Din glances over at him as well and if Corin didn't know any better, it feels like he's smiling.

Flushing a little, Corin nods towards the stairway. “Come on.” They walk over to pause at the bottom of the stairway, looking up at two massive portraits hanging side by side on the wall.  
To the left, a pale faced and golden haired woman smiles. Her radiant blue eyes leaves little doubt as to her identity. “My mother. Dulssisia.” Corin explains. “She died when I was just a kid. I don't really remember her, but... I think she was nice? I mean... I've always had that feeling. That she was nice.” Feeling silly, Corin turns his attention to the other painting. “And that's my father. Macero.”

Macero Valentis has the dark hair Corin inherited, a rather handsome face, but those piercing gray eyes of his glares at him and it makes Corin uncomfortable. He remembers that stare only too well. He hasn't seen it in years. It's like something heavy just dropped on his chest. 

“He was...” Corin clears his throat with a shake of his head, hoping to dislodge whatever it is. “He, uh, taught me how to... to...” He has to draw a deep breath. Can't get enough oxygen. “He helped me get into the, uh, Academy. Early. And...” What is happening? Is there something wrong with the air?  
“He was a Major Commander of the Stormtrooper Corps.” Corin can't look into those eyes, knowing how _furious_ his father would have been if he'd been here now, his son returning as a traitor and turning his back on power and credits. Macero would have...

Corin takes a step back, shaking his head and struggles to breathe. He can't breathe. There is no damn air in this house!

“Corin?” Din's voice sounds worried.

Corin spins around and makes an unsteady run for the entrance doors. He manages to push them open, tries to heave for air as he hopes it will be better outside and nearly panics when it's not. There is no air outside either!  
Wheezing, he drops to his knees at the top of the stairs and fights to breathe.

“Corin!” Moments later, familiar arms go around Corin and Din's voice reaches out to him. “You're okay.”

Corin shakes his head frantically. “Can't... breathe...”

“Yes, you can.” Din reassures him, pulling him close and runs his hands reassuringly over him. “I know it feels like you can't, but you can. You're okay. Just listen to my voice. You're safe.”

Din continues to repeat those words, reassures him he's okay, that he's safe, and strangely enough, little by little, Corin realizes that, yes, he can breathe. And Din is there, so he 'is' safe.  
After what feels like a small eternity, Corin turns his head a little and rests it on Din's pauldron. Another moment of weakness. More reason for Din to change his mind and leave him. “I'm sorry...”

“Don't.” Din mumbles softly, one hand on Corin's head and one hand on the head of the very anxious child standing next to them. “You've got nothing to be sorry for.”

“How did you know?” Corin asks, feeling tired and dizzy. “What was wrong with me?”

“There's nothing wrong with you.” Din counters, lifting the child up so it can climb into Corin's welcoming embrace. “I just... I recognized it. And Paz used to do this for me. I remembered it helped.”

Blinking, Corin sits up from nuzzling the child's head and turns to look at the t-visor. “What?”

Din shrugs. “After I lost my parents, I kept thinking those things were going to kill me too... Some nights I would wake up, thinking they had found me, or I'd hear a weird sound, and, you know.”

Corin feels his heart shatter, hoists the child with one arm and wraps his other around Din's shoulders and pulls him into a tight hug. He can only imagine how scared Din must have felt, the terror and the helplessness he had felt, and feels a flare of fury towards whatever it was, bad luck or the Force or whatever, that had allowed something like that happen to Din. 

Din exhales a ghost of a laugh and wraps one arm around Corin's torso in return. “At ease, _ner kar'ta_.” He lifts his hand up to gently cup the back of Corin's head, holding him close as he asks; “Do you want to go back to the ship? We don't have to stay here.”

Corin sighs and gingerly breaks free of the embrace to lean back and focus on the garbling child as an excuse not to meet Din's gaze. “No. No, I want to get this over with. And I'm not staying at 'her' mansion. This is my house. If it is okay with you, I'd like for all three of us to stay here.”

Din nods, takes his hand and gives it a light squeeze. “Okay.” He gets up. “But I'm getting rid of that painting.”

Corin feels a jolt of horror. “Please don't. He would never forgive me.”

Din grunts, mutters something in Mando'a before sighing. “I won't throw it away or break it. I'll shove it in a closet or something. Otherwise, I might actually set fire to the painting the next time I walk by it.”

Wide-eyed, Corin gets up on wobbly feet and clutches the child close. The painting feels like bad luck, but the idea of destroying it... He can't. “Just... be careful with it?”

Din grunts again, gives a reluctant nod and stomps back inside the house.

There is a slight tug on Corin's shirt and a faint coo so he looks down to see the little bean looking all anxious again. “I'm sorry, _ad'ika_.” Little child. “I didn't think this place would stir up so many feelings. Ignore me. I'll be fine.”  
Corin had always been a disappointment to his father, that wasn't Macero's fault.

No father wants a failure for a son.

-

Paz lies on the bed, hands folded on his stomach, staring up at the ceiling. He is wearing his armor, but not his helmet as he is hidden in the safety of his and Raga's room at the Covert. He's trying not to think. Things are what they are and they could have ended up so much worse. He got lucky.

Suddenly there is the double-beep of the lock that reveals Raga is about to enter the room.  
He turns his head and glances over as she does, curious. Is it over already?

“Your father is ordering you to attend.” Raga says, sounding smug.

Paz frowns, confused. His father had made it perfectly clear he was not to be present during the adopting ceremony of Liita. It was part of his punishment for failing to bring the darksaber. “Why?”

There is no doubt that Raga is smiling now as she speaks. “Otherwise she won't agree. Liita said she will not join the clan unless you get to be present.”

Paz gets up on his feet and stalks over to Raga. “She said what?!” No one in their right mind challenges his father. Not even Din. Davarax himself had bent backwards to avoid conflict with the leader of the Vizla clan. “She can't order him around.”

Raga shrugs. “He tried to tell her that. She didn't care. Either you attend or she walks.” She tilts her head a little, disturbingly amused by the entire thing. “Honestly, I think he likes her even more now.”

Paz merely shakes his head again, too unsettled to find it funny. “You go back there and you tell her to do as he says. You tell her not to be an idiot. Now.”

Raga walks over to the bed, picks up his helmet and holds it out to him. “If she refuses to listen to your father, she won't listen to me. Either you attend, or she walks.”

Grabbing his helmet, shoving it on, Paz mutters some of his most colorful curses in Mando'a. “Why is she doing this?” Paz hisses as he steams ahead, plowing a path in the hallway with Raga sauntering after him.  
“Because she wants her brother there when she becomes a part of the family.” Raga replies.  
Paz scoffs. “I'll be there after. There is no reason for her to provoke him. I swear, that girl-”  
“Has the courage of a Mandalorian.” Raga finishes.

And by then they are entering the room where the Vizla clan is gathered, which makes it too late for Paz to come up with a clever reply.  
Just about everyone in the clan is there, armor and helmets in all kinds of colors, with Liita and Paz' father in the middle of the room.

Paz swallows hard when his father's t-visor slowly turns in his direction and he pauses just inside the doorway. He can sense the glare and knows his sin is not forgotten nor forgiven.  
He considers marching over to Liita to try to talk some sense into her, but she's standing too close to his father and Paz doesn't want to risk being humiliated by him in front of the entire clan.

Satisfied at the sight of Paz, Liita nods and then turns to look up at the tall and broad Mandalorian in front of her. “Okay.” She says, with utmost calm, as if he isn't three times her own body weight. “You can say them now.”

“Well, thank you kindly.” The leader of the Vizla clan drawls in a weird mix of annoyance and amusement. “Are you sure there isn't anything else we can get for you?”

“No. Just Paz.” Liita counters, not blinking. “Unless you've changed your mind?”

Paz feels his stomach drop and he is about to step forward, but Raga grabs his wrist hard, holds him still, so he stays.

The leader of the Vizla clan snorts a laugh, looks around as if to make sure everyone sees the girl's defiant behavior, before focusing on her again. “Very well...” He clears his throat and holds out his hands, summoning a Mandalorian on either side of him to place a pauldron in each hand. “ _Liita... Ni kar'tayl gai sa'ad. Liita Vizla._ I know your name as my child, Liita Vizla. “ _Haat, Ijaa, Haa'it._ Truth. Honour. Vision. The pact is sealed.  
The pauldrons, the right one marked with the Shriek Hawk, are placed on Liita's shoulders and the leader of the Vizla clan rests his hands on them, looking at her through his t-visor. “Welcome.”

Liita frowns. “What do I call you?”

It takes a second before she gets a reply and the man sounds confused. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Liita says, annoyed that she has to explain and Paz wants to throw his helmet at her, “what I said; What do I call you?”

“You are my daughter. What do you want to call me?”

Liita considers this and makes her decision. “I didn't know my father, but that is what he was. My father. I already have a father. Can I call you 'Dad'? I've never had a dad.”

Paz glances over at Raga just as she looks over at Paz. No one calls him that. Not even Paz.

The leader of the Vizla clan lets go of her shoulders and straightens with a nod. “Then that is settled.” He looks around at the quiet clan and proclaims; “Liita Vizla is now a part of the Vizla tribe. It is time to celebrate!”  
The loud cheering could be heard echoing throughout the entire Covert.

-

Liita quickly makes it perfectly clear that she has no intention whatsoever to join any celebration, but that does not put a damper on the rest of the clan who eagerly flocks out of the room to head over to the area where there will be music and snacks to hoard.

Paz stumbles a step backwards to regain his balance after his father's shoulder deliberately and rather harshly knocks into him as he walks by. He stares at the floor until he knows his father is gone, and only then does Paz stalk over to Liita, who is studying the two pauldrons she'd gotten.  
“What were you thinking?” Paz hisses, somewhat quietly so the remaining Vizlas wouldn't hear.

Liita shrugs and looks up at him. “If you're going to be my brother, you should be here.”

“My father is not someone you cross.” Paz warns her.

Liita snorts a laugh. “He just wanted to secure the Covert's best mechanic. He wasn't going to let this chance slip him by. Can't you hear him bragging to the other clans already?”

Truth be told? Paz sort of can, yeah. Shifting his weight uneasily, Paz clears his throat. “Still... You shouldn't have risked his anger for nothing.”

“Not nothing.” Liita counters stubbornly. “Family. He's still just a stranger to me. I care about you.”

Paz feels a wave of emotion roll around in his chest and he has to clear his throat again. “You were fearless around me from day one. Most people are scared of me, but never you. Why?”

“You were never out to hurt me. And unlike most guys, you didn't want to get into my pants.”

Paz chokes on air, recovers and bristles. “What if I was just acting? You need to be more careful.”

“You know I am a Zeltron, right?” Liita says. “I could feel no real darkness in you. Anger, but not darkness.” She gestures towards Raga as she joins them after a brief conversation with another Vizla. “And you would only flare up like a supernova of pheromones whenever she was around you.”

His face instantly heats up, burns so hot it is almost painful, and Paz gingerly takes a step away from Raga. “Are you serious?”

Liita nods. “Every time she was near you.” She frowns. “And you still do, by the way.”  
Raga's helmet turns towards him, like a hawk spotting prey.  
Paz spins around and stalks towards the exit.

Raga grabs Liita's hand and drags her along as she chases after him. “Paz... Oh, Pa-az...”

“Get away from me.” He snaps, too embarrassed to even look at them. Liita had sensed it every time he had... looked at Raga? If anything, after their marriage, his hunger for her has increased, which means... “Stay. Away.”

Raga ignores him, of course she does, and the two follow him all the way inside when he flees to their room and Raga even locks the door behind her. Paz walks over to the opposite side of the room, determined to keep some distance between him and them.  
Raga ignores him again and focuses on Liita instead. “We're family now. Sisters. That big idiot is your brother. You know what that means?”

Liita looks like she couldn't care less. “What?”

Drawing a deep breath, as if bracing herself, Raga then reaches up and slowly removes her helmet to reveal that beautiful face of hers. She blinks a couple of times, adjusting her eyes to the direct light instead of the visor, before focusing on Liita with a trying, almost nervous, smile. “Hi.”

Liita blinks, but quickly recovers. “Huh. You look so elegant. Awesome braids.”

Raga's smile widens with delight and she looks over at Paz. Who is not moving. So she lifts her eyebrows at him.

Instantly tense, Paz crosses his arms. Showing himself to Raga had been different, she had seen him as a boy. But Liita? She probably has conjured up an image like Corin or something, which he most definitely is not. Why disappoint her on her first day as a Vizla? 

“Paz.” Raga warns him.

Paz crosses his arms harder. She can't make him. Well, she probably could physically, but she won't.

Raga rolls her eyes and turns back to Liita. “Tell him to take the helmet off. You're family now.”

Liita glances over at him and shakes her head. “If he wants to take it off, he will take it off. If not, that's fine. I don't like being forced into things either.”

“If I didn't force him into things, that man would still be hiding his feelings from me.” Raga mutters. “Paz, stop being such a baby and show your sister your face.”

Paz glares, hating it when she brings up his unnecessary decades of pining, and through his anger he finds his courage. They are family now, after all. It's only right that she'd see. So he reaches up and awkwardly removes his helmet.  
The air feels uncomfortably cold to his face, Paz had not been aware of sweating, and he even more awkwardly reaches up to pat down his hair while waiting for a look of disappointment from Liita.

It never comes. She looks at him, yes, scans his face, makes him hyper aware of how exposed he feels and his ears burn, but there is no disappointment.  
For one insane second, Paz could have sworn her eyes even softened a little.

“You are a lot prettier than you think.” Liita states, then glances over at Raga. “And you, you are nicer than you think.” With that said, she quickly turns towards the door and unlocks it. “I got some work I need to get done. They dragged me off to that ceremony thing while I was in the middle of a project. I'll tell you guys about it later. Bye.”

Liita disappears outside, the door beeps as it locks behind her and there is a deafening silence for two and a half heartbeat, then Paz looks from the door over at Raga, just as she looks over at him, and he has to confirm Liita's words as he's suddenly haunted by the memory of the hurt look in young Raga's eyes as the other children refused to allow her to join their games. “You are nice, you know? I can vouch for that. Din too. I can punch Barthor until he agrees, don't worry about him.”

Ignoring his words, Raga looks pained. “You think you're not pretty?”

Paz snorts with amusement, feeling more like himself with just the two of them, so he walks over to her and cups her face between his hands. “Me? I'm the prettiest in the Covert.”

Obviously annoyed by his tone, Raga glares up at him. “You happen to have my favorite face in the entire Galaxy. I will not have you bad talk it.”

“See?” Paz points out with a softness he didn't think his voice capable of producing. “You are the nicest person in the Galaxy.”

Raga's eyes narrows. “I had the chip switched off yesterday.” She uses both hands and pushes hard at his chest, sending him toppling back on the bed and stalks over to straddle his waist and glare down at him while he stares back with mute surprise. “Let's see how nice you think I am when you gotta stay up all night with the baby.”

-

With the painting of his father gone, Corin is able to slink back into the house. He just can't quite get himself to look at the empty spot where it had been. 

“You sure you're okay with this?” Din asks for the fifth time as they follow the child wobbling down a hallway as he curiously inspect their new surroundings.

“I'm fine.” Corin replies and hopes he isn't lying. Time for good luck, surely?

They explore for a long hile, Corin vaguely remembering some rooms and others not at all, mostly feeling like an intruder and that he's dirtying up the place with his mere presence. It is both weirdly overwhelming and utterly underwhelming.  
Eventually they end up in what is one of the sitting rooms in the west wing for a rest.

The child is sitting a small distance away on the floor, gnawing at the head of a figurine of a former city mayor, Corin is slumped in a comfy chair while Din hovers next to him, when there is a knock on the door.  
Corin sits up, simultaneously registering that Din places his hand on his blaster and how the child ignores the knock. “Yes?”

The door opens and an unfamiliar figure enters the room. A dark hooded cloak hides their identity until they are close enough to be dangerous, making Din discretely ease the blaster halfway out of its holster.

Corin sees the newcomer is not human. The skin visible to his eye has a soft pink hue, too smooth and lovely to be human, and timid brown eyes stare at the floor from under the hood.  
“Master Corin.” The hood is eased back by nimble hands to reveal a Twi'lek with her lekkus pulled back into a single tail with tight wrapping around them. “I am Mi'lah. I was told you requested my presence. I'm afraid the Mistress had me in charge of the staff so my experience is limited when it comes to... that.”

 _-That? What did she mean by 'that'?_ Corin frowns, confused, then he realizes and scrambles out of the chair to back away from her until he is standing next to Din. “No. What? No.” 

Finally the Twi'lek looks up at him, confused and nervously hopeful. “But...”

“No.” Corin repeats, horrified that she'd thought he would... “No. Nonono. Never. Not that you're not lovely, I'm sure you are, you look lovely, but no. No thanks. No.” He clears his throat, realizing why Andra had become so angry, and looks over at Din, who lets the blaster slip back into its holster and places his hand against Corin's back as a much appreciated grounding touch.

“Then why, if I may ask, did you request my presence?” Mi'lah doesn't seem to trust her good luck.

Corin needs a second to remember, still too unsettled by her assumption to just let it go, and then blurts out; “I just wanted to ask how many members of the staff there currently are?”

Mi'lah starts listing them up. The household staff, the gardeners, the shoppers, the ship mechanics, the droid mechanics, the bodyguards (here she glances at Din), the scouts, the traders, the lawyers, the doctors, the list just goes on and on until Corin lifts a hand to make her stop.  
“Okay, okay...” Corin sighs, starting to realize why the lawyer had insisted on him coming there. “Different question; how can I get rid of them as quickly as possible?”

Pure horror flutters across Mi'lah's face and she darts forward to drop to her knees in front of Corin and Din. “Please, Master Corin. Please, don't..”  
Startled, Corin backs up a step. Din automatically draws his blaster and the child glances over with a curious chirp, but Mi'lah ignores the reactions as she merely continues to beg. “Please!”

“Stop. Don't do that. Get up.” Corin pleads. “Listen, Mi'lah, all I want to do is sell everything and leave this place as soon as possible. Surely they can find new jobs?”

Mi'lah stares at him for a while, as if she thinks he's making a cruel joke and finally realizes that he means it. She gives a very slow shake of her head. “No, Master Corin. They can't. They are Motti property. No one on Seswenna will take them and there is no way they can afford a seat on a ship away from here.”

“Wait.” Din speaks up for the first time. “You're making it sound like they are slaves. I thought the New Republic forbade slavery here?”

Mi'lah gives a bitter smile. “Oh, they did. We're not slaves. We're 'servants'. We are hired and we earn wages.” Her formerly timid eyes harden with the bitterness. “We are hired from the Hutt. And we earn two credits per standard week. Unfortunately, as we are servants and not slaves, that means we have to pay for our accommodation and food, which is about eight credits per standard week.”

Corin feels both sadness and anger. How can the New Republic allow this? Slavery is slavery, even if you call it something else. “I will erase their debts and give them a ticket out of here if they want to leave. I just need you to get me a list with their names and their so-called debts.” 

It's not long after that when a messenger sent by the lawyer arrives to hand over a codecylinder that unlocks file after endless file of data on the house's mainframe, plus a message from the lawyer himself that says he will visit tomorrow after Corin has had a chance to look at the files, and Corin realizes this will not only take longer than he'd hoped. This will take forever!

That first night is spent in one of the guest rooms on the lower floor. The idea of using his parents room is just too creepy and he can't even remember which one had been his childhood room.  
There is no crib to be found in the house and Corin is reluctant to send Mi'lah out to go look for one at that late hour so the child sleeps in the bed with him and Din, his warm little shape safe between them as Corin and Din lie there facing each other in the dim light.

Din is not asleep. He has removed his right glove and brushes light fingertips along Corin's jawline, cheekbone, his chin... “You okay?” He asks, quietly, so not to wake the little womp rat. It had taken the child barely a second to fall asleep but if he wakes up, they both know it could take hours to make him drift off again.

“I'm f-” Corin tries to say, only to have Din's fingertips press against his lips and muffle the word.

“You're not fine.” Din moves his touch up to slide along Corin's eyebrow. “I just need to know if you're hanging on. It must be tough for you to be back here.”

Corin wants to ask Din if he regrets turning the ship around and coming back to save his life. He wants to ask him if he wouldn't be happier with someone else, someone stronger, who didn't keep falling apart all the time. He doesn't ask. A part of him dreads the answer but Corin also remembers the pauldron. Din's heart. Given to him. His weapon against the doubt that is whispering in Corin's ear that Din is bound to grow tired of him, he's too much work and with no hope of improvement. Don't think about that. Don't. “It won't happen again.” Corin takes a hold of Din's hand and moves it so he can place a lingering kiss to the palm. “Din?”

“Mmmh?”

“Want to shatter the slave trade on this planet?”

Din exhales a soft laugh. “I thought you'd never ask.”

-

“We have a name. We know who stole the darksaber.”

“About damn time.” She doesn't pause as she steps over the bodies of fallen Storm Troopers in the dark hallway. “Who is it?”

He follows her and shakes his head with a slight smile. “You won't believe this...”

“Tell me.”

“Vizla.”

She stops.

He stops next to her. “Paz Vizla.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corin has a visitor, someone he has never met before.  
> The child goes treasure hunting and finds a ghost from Corin's past.  
> Raga gets a message that infuriates her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://imgbb.com/)  
> 
> 
> _I just have to say; Looking at this, you can't really blame Din for getting a little distracted, can you??? Aaaah, the art deity shows us EXACTLY why poor Din flew the Razor Crest into a meteor field and nearly got them all killed xD I certainly am mesmerized, by this entire piece. *flails* The details of the control panel, map included, the lights and the doodads, the wires and the rings, the wear of the window, I am amazed! The adorably quizzical baby murders my heart. And I am still weirdly in love with the squish of the belt on that pillow. Din's PERFECT posture, I have no words to do that justice! The sprawl, the head tilt, the lazy hand on his thigh and the attentive hand on his knee, it's just... perfect! The beskar, reflections and all. The folds of his armor! And, yes, the GORGEOUS view of Corin, mouth-watering muscles, sweat sleek skin and the softness of his hair, the perfect push-up pose, aaaah! <3 And I pity those who don't head over to cac0daemonia's page here on AO3 and check this out in high res. It is definitely worth a look! And remember to leave all the love for our art deity! <3 <3 <3_  
> \- 

One moment Corin is asleep, hovering between peace and unease in his dreams, the next second the door to the bedroom opens behind his back and someone steps inside.

Corin grabs the child, pulls him tight, and he rolls over while drawing the blaster from under his pillow at the same time as Din draws his.  
Din aims high, Corin aims low.

There is a shriek and a flutter of movement as someone flees.

Corin slowly, sheepishly, lowers his blaster as he sees the back of the servant as she runs for her life and the flutter of clothes she'd brought as they end up on the floor. Oh.

Din keeps aiming at the door, still alert and ready for a fight.

Absently reaching up, Corin places his hand on the blaster and eases him into lowering it. “Stand down. She meant no harm.”

“How do you know?” Din rumbles, but does put the blaster away. He reaches out to stroke the head of the yawning child on Corin's arm, either to comfort the completely relaxed little bean or himself.

“Morning chores.” Corin explains, handing him the child as he senses Din needs the contact. He then gets out of bed and walks over to pick up the scattered clothes and shows them to Din. “See?”

Din stares at him for a little while, silent, processing, stroking the child's head and lulling him back to sleep by doing so. “Morning chores... They do this every morning? Sneak into your room and give you clothes? Clean clothes? Every morning?”

“I think so?” Corin struggles to remember, but he has vague memories of every morning starting by waking up to the sound of a servant entering his room, laying out his clothes and ushering him into the refresher room. Fortunately good luck had been on the servant's side this morning and they hadn't actually fired their blasters.

Din's helmet tilts slightly to one side. “And they expect you to wear... that?”

Corin looks at the clothing and clears his throat a little awkwardly. “I'm, uh, guessing this is what is fashionable on Seswenna these days?” He gingerly folds the clothing and places it on a nearby table. They might think it looks good, but they are definitely not designed for battle.

“You're not going to wear that?” There is a slight grin to Din's voice now. A touch of evil.

Corin smiles a little as well and shakes his head. “No. I think I'm going to stick with my old gear, if that's okay with you.”

Din leans back into the pillows, cradling the child to his chest and lets him use his chest as a pillow. “Now, _ner kar'ta_ , won't that be rude?”

Corin glances back at him. “You know those clothes weren't just for me?” He grins at the slight start that jolts the Mandalorian. “Yeah, the people working here know you're my partner, not a hired hand. Which means they expect you to dress the part.”

Din's helmet now pulls back a little, then he looks over at the door and seems to be considering pulling his blaster again.

It takes quite a bit of will-power to keep from laughing but Corin somehow manages. “I'm just going to get dressed and go apologize. You okay?”

Din shrugs, a protective hand on the child's back. “You want us to wait here?”

“You could go down to the kitchen if you want to get breakfast for him right away?”

The child appears to be asleep again and Din huffs a faint laugh. “I think we can wait.”

Corin gets dressed, stops by the bed to place a kiss on the child's head and a keldabe to Din's helmet before reluctantly heading out to find someone who can help him explain what had happened and hopefully apologize to the poor soul they'd frightened.

Walking down the empty hallways, Corin feels his chest tightening like before and he has to clear his throat a couple of times to make sure his throat isn't snaring up again. The tingle of unease in his spine grows increasingly stronger and Corin is considering fleeing back to the bedroom when good luck graces him and he hears voices.  
In the room at the end of the hallway, the door is open and someone is talking inside there.  
Relieved, Corin stalks over but he pauses about two steps away from entering.

They are talking about him.

-

“It was an accident.” It's Mi'lah's voice. “Some kind of misunderstanding. It has to be. I know what you said, but I think he's different.”

“Don't be an idiot.” Andra's voice replies, hard as Beskar. “He's like all the rest of them.”

“No.” Mi'lah conjures up a weak objection. “I really think he's different...”

There is a heavy sigh and now Andra's voice is soft and filled with sadness. “Mi'lah... You can't afford to be this naïve. They lie. They put on a good soul act but it is all a lie. It always is.”

“But-”

“You still have the scars on your back from the last time you trusted one of them.” Andra reminds her. “You know what Antonia Motti was like. You've heard what Macero Valentis did to his slaves. This one has a pretty face, I admit, but he's one of them, make no mistake about it.”

“But he didn't touch me. A-and he has a partner and a child.”

“He didn't touch you then. That's all. Doesn't mean he won't.” Andra points out. “How much did it matter to Vanum Motti or Macero Valentis that they both had spouses and children?”

“He seems different.”

“He's not.” Andra bites out. “You can't trust him.”

“Actually,” Corin says, stepping into the room, “you can.” His heart is beating hard, his skin is damp with cold sweat and he mostly wants to run back to the room and hide, but Corin makes himself face the startled women.  
Corin lifts a hand, trying to show he means no harm. “Listen, let me explain...” Andra's eyes are radiating hostility and Corin has to force himself to continue. “I want to apologize for what happened earlier. Me and Din, neither of us are used to this. In our lives, if someone enters our room without us expecting them, it is most likely to try to kill us. It was instinct. I will apologize to whomever the unfortunate soul was that had the bad luck of walking into our room earlier.”

Andra's dark eyes narrow a fraction, but with contempt and little else. “That's kind of you.”

Corin's confidence wavers. Andra might be a servant in the eyes of the people in Seswenna but he senses her iron will and authority and it makes him want to back off. “I'm... I'm not my father. I didn't even know my grandmother much. I'm not like them, I promise.”

Andra holds out an arm to prevent Mi'lah from stepping forward as the Twi'lek moves, keeps her glare connected with Corin's and her voice is even harder than before when she speaks. “You came here with the lives of fifty four souls in the palm of your hand and the livelihood of thousands in your pocket and all you could think about was how you could fire everyone and sell everything.”

Corin flinches but stands his ground. “I didn't know. I never meant for anyone to get hurt, I just didn't want anything of hers.” He shifts his weight uneasily and shrugs one shoulder. “So... how about you tell me? Tell me how I can help. Please?”

Mi'lah places a dainty hand on Andra's shoulder, makes her look over at her, and she raises her eyebrows at the stern woman with a smile, eager to trust what appears as good luck.

Andra frowns, but when she glances back at Corin there is now a carefully calculating shine to her eyes instead of pure hostility. “Why would a rich boy like you help us?”

“Because I know what it is to be trapped in life. I know what it's like to starve.” Corin exhales a weary breath. “The only credits I've ever had were the ones I made as a Trooper and after the Empire fell, credits, and food, were impossible to find on some days. If not for Din, I would have died a year ago.” It's the ugly and uncomfortable truth. “So, yeah, I while did grow up in a golden cage, it was still a cage, and if I can free someone else from being trapped on this planet...”

Andra keeps staring, like she wants to believe him but years of bad experience tells her not to.

Corin can relate all too much to that. “Tell me.” Corin asks once more. “Tell me how I can help.”

-

Two hours later, Corin is behind a desk in one of the many offices in the house, miserable, knowing Din and the child are playing out in the garden while he's stuck with paperwork and the lawyer calling every thirty minutes. He'd come to Seswenna thinking it would be easy to just wrap things up, but it is turning out to be quite the complicated affair. Bad luck takes many shapes.  
One elbow on the desk, his hand in his hair, Corin is slouched forward and reading dutifully despite how little he wants to. He's more than a little relieved at the interruption when the door to the office beeps and opens. 

Mi'lah steps inside, probably the only one who dares to enter a room with him in it after this morning's disaster. (The servant girl hadn't dared to look at him while he asked for her forgiveness. He told her she could have the rest of the week off, with pay.) “Excuse me, Master Corin...”

Corin shakes his head. “Don't... don't call me that.”

The Twi'lek frowns. “Then what should I call you?”

“Corin.”

She flinches. Actually flinches. “Oh, I can't. It wouldn't be proper.”

Sighing, Corin leans back in his chair. “At least inside the house. Please? This 'Master' title is making my skin crawl.”

Mi'lah frowns as she thinks and finally lifts an eyebrow. “Sir? Can I call you 'Sir'?”

Realizing this is a fight he can't win, Corin gives up. “Fine. Okay. What's on your mind?”

“You have a visitor, Sir. She's requesting to speak to you.” There is a hint of dislike in her voice.

Surprised, Corin can't think of a single soul who would want to visit the lame Bantha of the Valentis family. “I, uh, okay? Let them in, I guess?”

Mi'lah grunts, purses her lips and walks out of the room.  
Not long after, she's back but pauses outside the office and gestures for someone to enter.

That someone is a young woman with pale skin, seductively full lips and dark hair set up in a bunch of complicated braids. She's wearing a dark green dress, not overly ornamented but clearly expensive as everything about her screams high class.  
“Thank you for seeing me.” The woman says, giving a deep courtesy.

Corin awkwardly gets up from his chair and rounds the desk to stand in front of her. “No problem.” His mind is flailing for a single reason as to why someone like her would ask to see a nobody like him. “What's up?” Corin cringes at his casual tone, has a weird flashback to one of the nannies who had drilled the importance of manners and the correct way of addressing nobles into his brain. This house is bringing back too many memories. “I mean, what can I do for you?”

The woman smiles at him, pretty as a picture. “I just thought we should at least meet.”

Feeling even more awkward, Corin searches for a polite way to say he has no idea who she is...

Lowering her eyelashes, the woman looks down at the floor with a faint smile. “My name is Venenifer Arco. I was supposed to become your wife.”

Corin's face flares up and he takes a step backwards. He'd almost forgotten that Antonia had told him he was getting a wife. “That was, I, it wasn't, me getting married that was all-”

“-Antonia's idea. I know.” Venenifer says, voice mild and soft as silk. “I'm not here to hold you that promise. Don't worry. I just wanted to see you.” Her gaze slides back up to his face under unnaturally long lashes while her head is held to show her features from the most flattering angles. “I wanted to see if you really were as handsome as the holos made me believe.”

“That's, uh...” Corin struggles to keep from backing away some more. Her words makes him uncomfortable, but there is something about her eyes that he likes even less. There is no reason for her to be here and it smells like bad luck. “I'm sorry Antonia dragged you into this.”

Venenfier's smile widens a little. “She was a woman who always got what she wanted.”

Corin tries and fails at a smile. “Yeah. She was.” He remembers what his grandmother had done to him to make him do what she wanted. “I hope she didn't cause trouble for you too.”

Venenifer shakes her head, all soft acquiescence. “No. No, I'll be fine. It's kind of you to care.”

Wondering if Antonia had ordered her into this arrangement or if Venenifer had agreed to it by her own free will, Corin is snapped out of his thoughts when he sees the threat. He acts before he has the time to think about what is happening.  
Corin bolts forward, grabs Venenifer and yanks her close against himself, narrowly avoiding a flying vase hitting her head.

The vase shatters against the wall instead.

Startled, clutching his shirt, Venenifer looks up at him with big eyes, but Corin is staring at the doorway, where Din is standing with an angry child in his arms. The little hands are still reaching out after using the Force to throw the vase at the woman.  
“No.” Corin says, despite how the child's dark eyes narrows at him. “No throwing stuff. No.”

Venenifer slowly looks over at Din and the child as well.

“I don't mean to be rude, Venenifer, but you should go.” Corin says. He does not like the fury on the child's face and he's very aware of how strong those powers of his are. “Now.”

When three more vases in the room start to rattle, Venenifer appears to pick up on the danger and slips out of Corin's arms, curtseys again and disappears out of the room.

Din looks after her as she walks away and then steps over to Corin when she's out of sight and the vases goes still again.

Corin focuses on the child. “You. No throwing stuff at people. That's not very nice. You could have hurt her.”

The child pulls his ears back and makes a growl deep in his throat without a single hint of regret or a promise that he wouldn't do the exact same thing if given the chance.

-

Barthor grits his teeth as he tries to focus on the task at hand. He's out here to get supplies for his students, that's all.  
_-Ignore the lumbering idiot determined to wind him up. Just ignore him._  
Why had they decided that Paz had to accompany him into the sleepy, dust-covered town? It's not that far from the Covert and Barthor is perfectly capable of taking care of himself. Fine, he's not the best shot or the strongest, but he is armed and is wearing a jetpack and no one runs away as fast as he does. A lifetime with the Three Terrors has taught him that skill.

“You know,” Paz drawls, leaning his shoulder against the wall next to him while Barthor tries to choose among the items on display in the store, “it's not my fault they still believe you're half Jawa.”

“You're the one who started the rumour.” Barthor points out.

Paz shrugs. “I just casually mentioned it a couple of times. That's all.”

Barthor sighs and goes back to pretending Paz is not there as he moves on to the next store. The blue pest follows and leans against the next wall.

“Raga agreed to try for a baby.” Paz reveals. “She had the chip switched off. She might be carrying a little one right now.”

Barthor freezes, pure terror gripping his heart, and it takes several seconds before he can turn his visor and look over at the looming blue shape. “No...”

“Yes.” Paz' voice reeks of glee. 

“No.” Barthor shakes his head and stalks out of the store, Paz in tow. “No. No! I quit. If that happens, I will quit. I will remove my helmet and move to another planet.”

Paz' laugh would make Emperor Palpatine himself cower. “Not a chance. Your riduur would never agree to leave and you would never leave them.”

“You suck.” Barthor mutters, knowing Paz is right. He is marching towards the last store when Paz suddenly grabs a hold of his backplate and yanks him back around a corner.  
Barthor is about to yell his angry objection at the treatment, but Paz' muttered; “Quiet.” is in a tone of voice that tells him Paz is serious, so Barthor stays quiet.

Paz leans out to peek around the corner and Barthor does the same. There are three Mandalorians in blue armor with unfamiliar markings further up the street and they are talking to people, clearly looking for information. Eventually they are close enough for Barthor to hear them mentioning a big Mandalorian in blue armor. It doesn't take a genius to know who they are talking about.  
“Who are they?” Barthor uses the comlink so no one but Paz will hear him.

“Trouble.” Paz replies in disturbingly solemn voice.

“What do we do?” Barthor asks, knowing they can probably make it back to the Covert if they use their jetpacks but that would reveal its location and lead these strangers directly to it. He places a hand on the hilt of his blaster. “You think they want a fight? You think we can take them?”

Paz stares at them, probably uses his HUD to scan them, and Barthor is not prepared for him reaching out and yanking him close by his breastplate. “You, stay.”

Barthor frowns. “What?”

Paz moves his hand to Barthor's back. “You are going stay here. Keep your head down and you'll be safe. It's me they want. I'm going to lead them away.”

Barthor shakes his head, trying to object. Clearly these strangers are dangerous.

“Listen. I need you to give a message to Raga. It's important.” Paz' words comes in a quiet rush. “You tell her to stay put as well. Don't come looking for me. I will come back. Okay?”

“No.” Barthor huffs. “I can't tell her that. If I come back without you, she will kill me.” He reaches out and grabs a hold of Paz' breastplate. “Don't go. I can help!” They had lost Davarax, they had lost Din to the outside world, Barthor can't lose Paz too.

“Tell her.” Paz orders, then shoves him away so hard Barthor falls on his ass and can only stare as the big idiot makes a run for it across the street with every intention of being spotted by the strangers.  
It works. The strangers draw their blasters and chase after him with the determination of hunters.

Scrambling to his feet, Barthor sees Paz refuse to stop despite the strangers ordering him to do so and when he takes off with his jetpack, that is when they start firing and uses their own jetpacks to follow.  
“Paz!” Barthor shouts into the comlink. “PAZ!” He steps forward, draws his blaster and plans to do a back-attack on these strangers, only to discover that Paz has ripped out the wires and incapacitated his jetpack. He can only watch as Paz makes his escape, leading the strangers away.

_-Dank farrik, Paz..._

Barthor turns and runs back to the Covert.

-

Following the child as it pitter patters down the hallway, Corin is wearing a slight frown, not entirely pleased with what had happened with Venenifer. He is keenly aware of what Marcus, no, Luke had told them about the dangers of the womp rat's temper.

“So have you come up with a plan yet?” Din asks, so casual it doesn't sound casual at all.

Sighing, Corin shakes his head. “They're working on it. It's all so complicated, Din.” He looks over at him. “I'm sorry. I wouldn't have dragged you here if I'd known it would take ages.”

“I'm more worried about you.” Din counters. “I don't like how this place hurts you.”

“I'm fine.” Corin reassures him with a faint smile, not sure why that brings a quiet sound of frustration from Din, but before he can conjure up more words he sees the child has come to a halt and Corin does the same. But where there is curiosity on the child's face, Corin can feel unease take up camp on his. Why did bad luck have to lead them here?  
The child is standing in front of a closed door. The door to Corin's childhood room.

Pausing between Corin and the child, Din looks from one to the other. “Something wrong?”

Corin makes himself shake his head. “No. Nothing wrong.” He sees the child reach out and place a tiny hand against the door before looking back at him with a tilt to his head and a curious chirp. He clearly wants to go inside. Which is fine. Totally fine. Corin makes himself walk over and unlock the door and as it slides open, he explains to Din; “It's my old room.”

The child enters first, then Corin and Din follows.

The small room looks nothing like how Corin remembers it. His father must have had it painted and turned into yet another guest room at some point. The walls are bare, a huge bed is standing where his old one used to be and there are a couple of crates on the floor next to it. Not even the view from the huge window is the same with new buildings outside and the trees being so different.

Din looks around the dark and empty room and makes a thoughtful sound. “This was your room? As a kid?”

Corin nods. “It used to look a bit different.” All of his things are gone without a trace.

Sighing, Din turns his t-visor to look at Corin again. “You okay? And don't tell me you're fine. If you do, I swear I will drag that painting of your father out into the yard and set fire to it.”

Horrified by the threat, Corin steps over and places a pleading hand on Din's arm. “Don't. I am f- I'm okay, I am, really. This was his house and I was gone for so long, I don't blame him.”

“Of course you don't.” Din replies, reaching out a hand of his own and cups the side of Corin's face.

Corin leans into the touch, feels strangely soothed by it, but is abruptly snapped out of the moment by the sound of objects clattering to the floor.

Looking over, both Din and Corin see the child having opened and crawled into one of the crates and is tossing stuff out of it as he digs deeper into the content.  
“Hey. Careful.” Corin walks over to pull him back out. “There can be sharp objects in there.”

The child chirps triumphantly when he is lifted up and he's clutching a small holoprojector in his hands. He quickly offers it to Din, like a piece of good luck, who doesn't hesitate to take it.

“What's this?” Din asks.

“No idea.” Corin replies with a faint frown. He peeks into the crate and makes a face. “Looks like junk. Just stuff my father was going to throw out. You could have hurt yourself, little bean.”

Din studies the holoprojector. “It's one of the old ones. I wonder if it still works.”

“Probably not, as he was throwing it away.” Corin says, hoisting the child in his arms, a little unsettled by how keenly the little bean is watching the holoprojector. “Just chuck it back in there.”

Din makes a triumphant sound and light flickers from the holoprojector. The image fizzles out a couple of times, there are some distorted squawks of sound, but with a few more tweaks from Din the image appears. Ghosts from the past.

Corin stares. He sees himself, no more than four years old, squirming restlessly and giggling happily on the lap of a Togruta. She is smiling as well, trying to tell him to sit still so they can get the picture done, but there is so much love in her voice that the young Corin just giggles even more.

“Who is that?” Din asks, sounding curious. The child chirps happily, pointing at the holo-image.

“That's me. And Neleem. She looked after me for a while.” Corin replies in a slightly numb voice. He closes his eyes when she hugs the child in the holoprojector image tight as 'punishment' for not sitting still and he hears his own childhood laughter. His chest tightens hard. “Turn it off. Please.”

Din turns off the projector and the room is quiet for a couple of seconds. “She seemed nice?”

“She was.” Corin opens his eyes again and tries to calm the thousand feelings whirling inside him. Stop. Just stop. “Then she left. Just like everyone else.” Not bad luck, just him. He couldn't make them stay. None of them.

“Corin...” Din's voice is soft. “This house... There's not a single image of you here. Your father, he-”

“I don't want to do this.” Corin snaps in a shaky voice and stalks out of the room before he either starts crying or screaming.

The child in his arms makes a worried sound, reaching up to touch his face, and Corin places a kiss to a tiny hand with a mumbled promise that he's fine. He's not entirely sure he is, but he will be. Corin just needs to get his act together. He just needs to focus on something else...

Mi'lah and Andra appears in the hallway like the best kind of good luck there ever was. Especially as Mi'lah takes a step towards him with a bright smile and says; “We have an idea you may want to hear...”

-

“How did it go, Mistress?” The maid asks, hands folded in front of her and eyes on the floor.

Venenifer snorts a laugh, letting her cape fall to the floor so a slave girl can pick it up and put it away. “Like Antonia said, he's weak. Pretty and dumb, just how I hoped he would be and as any husband should be. He won't be a problem.” She walks forward and two slaves opens the doors for her to enter one of her gold-covered living rooms, leaving her maid to scurry to keep up.  
“That tin man of his might be a problem, though. I am going to have to deal with him. And their little pet. I won't let those insignificant creatures get between me and what Antonia promised me; the Motti name and fortune. I will step over their cold corpses if that is what it will take.”

-

Mi'lah is sitting on the floor and helping the child create all kinds of structures with make-shift building blocks from all kinds of decorations probably worth more than the Razor Crest, while Corin, Din and Andra have found a seat around a small table in the kitchen.

“Tomorrow Judge Hadar Halcyon is having his annual celebration of how incredible he thinks he is,” Andra says with no attempt at hiding her contempt for the man, “and he and his son are the ones in charge of all the trade going in to and out of Seswenna. That includes the slave trade. If you can find their contact, you may be able to get to the ones behind the supply of slaves. No supply, no replacement slaves. The New Republic has cracked down hard on the slavers, Halcyon will have a difficult time to find a new one.”

“You have no idea who this supplier is?” Din asks.

Andra shrugs. “A Hutt. But no one knows where he is or how to contact him. No one but Halcyon.”

“He may not be eager to help us.” Corin says and almost smiles. “We're going to have to persuade him a little.”

“Good.” Din drawls.

Andra almost smiles as well before regaining her stern face. “No public scandal, Master Corin. The only thing that will get you into the party is your Motti inheritance and they won't hesitate to exclude you completely if you cause a ruckus. They don't like their parties to be interrupted.”

“He doesn't like it when you call him 'Master'.” Mi'lah points out without taking her eyes off the child reaching up to place another piece on top of an already wobbly looking tower.

“Until things change here on Seswenna, that is what he is.” Andra replies, not taking her eyes off Corin, who awkwardly shifts his own gaze down to the table.

“So that's the plan?” Din shifts the focus back to what they were meant to be talking about. “We go to a party and shake some rich guy?”

Corin dares to peek up at Andra again. “I can use my own clothes, right?”

“He can.” Andra points at Din. “Other than your household, people still thinks he's just a bodyguard, but you, Master Corin, need to look the part.”

Whining, always haunted by bad luck, Corin leans back in his chair. “Fine, but... no frills. Or ribbons. Or big sleeves. Or fur.” He pauses to give the snickering Din a light elbow to the ribs before continuing. “Or anything colorful or metallic. And definitely no tulle.”

“I'm sure we can find something that will suit your taste, Master Corin.” Andra says, and appears pained at his lack of fashion sense.

-

Raga kneels down and places her hand flat against the abandoned laser canon lying on the ground. Her HUD is reading the heat temperature and she sees it is no more than ninety standard minutes since it was fired last. Glancing around in the tiny settlement, she can see the scorch marks on the clay buildings from the other blasters that had been fired there earlier. The grooves in the dusty ground and the piles of dirt tells her there was a fierce hand to hand combat as well.  
In the background, a man is yelling at Barthor and demands he gets compensation for his stolen ship.

Getting back up with a firm grip on the canon, Raga stares up at the sky. She had managed to track them to this place, almost at the other side of the continent, but it had taken her hours and she is too late to stop them.  
According to the man, Paz had gotten away by stealing his ship and had set course for the stars, but his followers had quickly been on his tail in a ship of their own.

Raga turns, walks, right by the flustered Barthor, over to where Liita is waiting by her ship. She stops in front of her new sister and hands her the canon. “I need your ship.”

Liita's face is blank as usual. “I'll come too.”

“No, you won't.” Raga makes it clear it is not up for discussion. “It's too dangerous. You and Barthor will go back to the Covert.”

“What? No.” Barthor hurries over, leaving the man to scream more curses after him. “Raga, no, you're not going. I told you what Paz said! You're to stay put and-”

“I don't give half a loth-cat's ass for what he told you.” Raga grits out. The idiot. The stupid, STUPID idiot! “Liita will fix your jetpack and you two head back to the Covert. I'll find him.”  
She doesn't wait for a reply, merely stalks inside the ship and closes the door behind her.

Raga is going to hunt down Paz Vizla, kiss his face and then she's going to kill him.

-  
After a night with little to no sleep, Corin finds himself standing in the middle of a huge dressing room, arms stretched out and his patience stretched thin, while Mi'lah and two other servants work on his outfit, adjusting and pulling and fluffing.

They had shown him several suggestions that he'd balked at before they managed to persuade him into the least flashy one. Corin misses his own clothes, the familiar feel of armor, while trying not to flinch at the sensation of the butter-smooth fabric of the new shirt stretching over his chest and the weird presence of rings on his fingers. At least the pants are comfortable. He feels stupid, like an imposter trying to look rich and fooling no one. He's basically wearing bad luck.

Mi'lah takes a step back and claps her hand with a delighted look on her face. “There! Perfect.”

Corin lowers his arms and grunts.

“Your hair...” Mi'lah begins.

“My hair is fine.” Corin snaps, lifting a protective hand to said hair. No one is messing with his Mandalorian style hair, thank you very much.

“Very well.” Mi'lah says, with a faint roll of her eyes to the fellow servants, who dares to give the faintest of laughter. “Let's go show you off to the others, then.”

Corin sighs and lowers his hand. He doesn't want to, dreading how Din will laugh himself silly at how stupid he looks, but there is no way around it. If Corin wants to get into that party, this is the price to pay.

“Attention everyone!” Mi'lah declares as she walks into the living room in front of Corin. “I present to you; Master Corin Valentis Motti!”

Corin steps inside, tries to keep his chin up and braces for the mockery. “Yes, yes...” He holds his arms out and does a slow turn, the long sleeveless jacket flowing softly behind him, complimenting the black pants and the dark gray sweater that is a little too long on his hips and his arms and somehow looks fashionable because of it. The light makes the silver rings sparkle.

He expects laughter so Corin comes to an awkward stop when none is heard.

Andra is watching him with a critical eye, but gives a firm nod of approval.  
Din is just watching him with the happily gargling child in his arms.

Corin swallows hard. “I look stupid. I know.” He pulls awkwardly on the sleeve already covering half of his hand.

“No.” Din snaps out of his silence. “No, you... you look good.” He nods and clears his throat. “Yeah, uh... Real good.”

“Yeah?” Corin straightens a little with a trying smile. “Really?”

Din nods again.

“And one more thing.” Andra says, clapping her hands twice.

The door opens and a tall, muscular Zabrak stalks inside. He's clearly combat trained, straight spined and wearing armor, a gruff look on his face along with several complicated tattoos on his orange skin.  
Din places his hand on his blaster and tenses up. The child ignores the newcomer.  
“This is Hako.” Andra steps up next to the Zabrak. “He is in charge of security here. He will make sure you are protected and stay by your side tonight.”

A little wide eyed, Corin glances at the Zabrak and then Din and then back again. “I, uh, thanks? But I already have Din to, uhm, protect me. No offense, sir, but I don't really need-”

“You can't be seen with just one bodyguard.” Andra declares. “They would think you've squandered the Motti fortune already. Nono, that won't do. Hako is our most skilled guard and the others respect him.”

Corin nods, trusting her judgement, and faces the Zabrak. “I'm grateful for any help. Thank you.”

Hako nods in return. “Mi'lah said the Motti boy is going to stop the slave trade here. Is that true?”

“Me and Din, we're going to try, at least.” Corin replies.

To everyone's surprise, that brings a smile to Hako's face and his features soften. “Good. Then I'll keep you alive to do so.”

Letting out a nervous laugh, Corin decides he likes this guy. “I appreciate that.”

Din steps up behind Corin, places a hand at the small of his back. “Yeah, that's real nice of you.”

Hako looks directly at Din's t-visor and he chuckles. “Message received, Mando. Don't worry.”

“Glad to hear that.” Din replies, tension leaving his voice.

Corin looks from one to the other, not quite sure what happened. His logic tells him Din just got jealous, but it also points out how arrogant it is to assume Din would get jealous. He decides to play it safe and pretend he didn't hear or notice anything.

Mi'lah walks over and eases the child from where he's perched on Din's left arm over into her embrace. She settles him comfortably so he can look at both Din and Corin. “Your dads are going to a party, little one.” Taking a gentle hold of his wrist, Mi'lah makes him give a tiny wave. “Let's wish them lots of good luck, eh?”

Oh, Corin really, really hopes they won't need it.

After all, it's just a party and a spoiled rich guy, what could possibly go wrong?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corin attends a party.  
> There is dancing.  
> There is some punching.  
> And a reunion with some old friends, while others are trying to stay alive...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://imgbb.com/)  
> -  
>  _Aaaah, yet again the art deity that is cac0daemonia must take simple words and turn them into **heart-shattering** beauty! My heart is utterly curbstomped by this magnificent masterpiece. Corin can probably count on one hand the happy moments he had in his childhood, but his time with Neleem was definitely a time when he felt loved and safe, until she made the mistake of confronting Macero about his horrible parenting skills and the next day she was gone. Corin still thinks she left because of a different job offer, that she didn't really care about him after all, but he is wrong. So very wrong. Look at that beautiful art and tell me she didn't love him?_  
> -  
> 

Slightly reassured that he doesn't look like a complete idiot, Corin pulls his shoulders back and walks out of the house, followed by Din and Hako, trying to remember the social etiquette he was taught a lifetime ago. 

The second he steps outside the main entrance, Corin comes to such an abrupt halt that Din nearly walks into him and Hako has to make a sharp side-step to avoid the same. He stares slightly startled at the eight humanoid soldiers in unfamiliar and shiny armor lined up, four on each side, along the pathway from the house to the gates.  
Had the rich people discovered that Corin was a scam before he had even left the house?

“Master Corin,” Hako says, stepping forward to stand next to him, “may I present your security force tonight?”

Corin discretely looks over at Din, making a face to ask for his opinion. Surely this is going a bit over the top? Bad enough he's supposed to let Din and Hako act like bodyguards, but now they expect him to bring a small army to the party? It's not like they're going to war.  
But all Din does is give a faint shrug. It's like he's given up on understanding the people of Seswenna after discovering servants would enter the rooms to deliver clean clothes every morning.  
Corin turns his attention back to Hako and tries for a polite smile. “No offense, but is this really necessary? I thought we were attending a party of sorts?”

Hako seems amused. “You are the head of the Motti house now. Most people at this 'party' wishes for your death for that sin alone. The Mottis have many enemies and if they think you are vulnerable, they will start to plot your demise. This is your first public appearance and it's important we do it right. From this day, if you leave the house, you must always bring guards with you.”

A heavy ball of unease tightens in Corin's gut, but he forces himself to nod and keep the polite smile on his face. He may be of Valentis and Motti blood, but he has never spent much time in privileged society as he's lived most of his life as a soldier and commoner. The Covert had felt far more like home than this planet does. This just feels like bad luck.  
Using no small amount of will-power, Corin shifts his attention back to the guards and gives them a slight nod. “Thank you. For, uh, protecting me tonight. I appreciate it.”

It gets him a couple of odd glances, but most of the guards show little to no reaction and keep their gaze forward, like he and the other Troopers would do during an officer inspection. Corin doesn't like it, it feels wrong, but then Hako starts walking down the stairs and Corin hurries to follow.

Heading towards their destination Hako and two other soldiers walk in front, then Corin and Din, followed by the rest of the Motti soldiers.  
Leaning towards Din, Corin whispers; “It feels like I'm being lead to my execution, not a party.” He wonders what would happen if they were to make a run for it. He feels trapped, not secure.

Din grunts, clearly uncomfortable as well.

Corin straightens, feeling a stab of guilt for dragging Din into this, and stares ahead with a faint sigh. The sooner they arrive, the sooner they can leave. Please, good luck, be kind.

But when they approach what appears to be one of the largest and tallest buildings in all of Seswenna, its very walls shining with silver, Corin has a revisit to the thought of running away.  
He's not one of these people. He doesn't care what blood runs in his veins, this is NOT where he belongs. And they will smell it. They will know and they will eat him alive.

Hako must pick up on Corin's unease as he pauses in front of the gates to the building and looks over at him. “Are you unwell, Master Corin?”

Corin forces yet another smile. “I'm fine.” Don't think about the scary rich people, think about ending the slave trade.

The Valentis gates are sturdy and secure, but these are made of thin silver-colored bars, strangely beautiful in their cruel separation of classes. They are completely soundless as they glide open and allow Corin and the others to walk inside, but the whoosh they make as they close behind them feels like they take the oxygen with them.

Walking up the stairs, listening to the sounds of the muffled music from behind the doors and the sound of the armor of the soldiers pretending to be on his side, Corin feels a drop of sweat run down from his temple.

And when the doors open? When he sees the massive crowd inside all stop and stare, Corin can't move. They stare at him and he stares at them.

-

Suddenly a solid looking man, dressed in a perfectly fitted suit of expensive materials, steps in front of him and gives Corin a bright welcoming smile. It is difficult to determine his age, but there is a lot of grey in his hair and beard, and he has fine lines in his features that would have been quadrupled if he had been less rich. A long life, few worries. “Corin Valentis Motti! Welcome to my little gathering. I am honored! Come inside, join us, let us get to know you!” His smile is warm, his dark eyes are not. If bad luck had a deceptive face, this would be it.

Corin manages to scrounge up something of a smile. “Thank you.” He glances over, makes sure that Din is still there, needs his presence, and finds strength in the slight nod he gets. Corin is not alone.

Stepping inside, Corin feels the man place his hand on his shoulder and he's guided into a room nearly as big as the hangar they'd landed the Razor Crest in, where the ceiling seems to reach all the way up to the very sky and orbs of light hover mid-air like stars.  
It looks like magic. Corin suspects he's gawking, but the man doesn't seem to mind. He seems pleased, if anything.

“My name is Hadar Halcyon.” He gestures to the crowd staring at them. “Everyone, meet Corin Valentis Motti. Macero's prodigal son has returned home to us.”

Corin expects anger, dislike, as he usually gets when people learn he's his father's son, but here he is met with grudging respect and approval. Another confirmation of how different this world is from the one Corin had lived in.  
The only ones who casts a foul look his way are a couple of slaves at the outskirts of the crowd.  
They're probably right to do so. Him being Macero's son is bad luck to them.

Hadar leads Corin into the crowd, presents him to one person after another, listing up names that Corin forgets within seconds, and the only thing that keeps his spine straight and smile on is the fact that Din and Hako are half a step behind them, while the soldiers remain at the entrance.

It is all pleasantries and shallow commentaries, how is Corin supposed to find a way to ask Hadar about what actually interests him. -Hey, by the way, where do you get your slaves from?

As they move through the crowd, the interest in Corin dwindles and people go back to whatever they were doing before his grand entrance. Some talk, some dance and almost everyone drinks. No one is keeping an eye on their surroundings, scanning for danger, none of them are ready for a threat to appear. They are all soft.

“And this!” Hadar's voice snaps Corin out of his thoughts and back to the present. He has his hand on the shoulder of a young man with features strikingly similar to Hadar, just a younger and slimmer version with golden locks instead of dark curls. “This is my son, Centinnion. My partner in business.”

Corin reaches out a hand and Centinnion takes it, squeezes it hard in an effort to appear more manly. It reeks of him living in the shadow of his father. Corin knows the feeling and so he excuses the behavior. “Hello. Corin Valentis.”

“Valentis Motti.” Hadar corrects with a booming voice and an even louder laugh, reminding Corin just why he's allowed inside the silver gate; his Motti blood. 

Centinnion lets his dark eyes roam over Corin for a moment, then he releases his hand and gives him a light salute before he's dragged off by some woman in a huge dress and even bigger hair.

“Ah. Young people.” Hadar chuckles, looking meaningfully over at Corin. “I fear if he was to take over my entire business tonight, it would be in ruins within two days, but I hope with age he will become as responsible as you. I mean, you are the head of the Motti empire now.”

Corin wonders why the words sounds like a threat. Bad luck.

Hadar is abruptly ushered away by some men who clearly wants to talk business and Corin feels both stupid and helpless as he is left standing there. Uh, now what? He's about to turn to Din and ask when the crowd shuffles aside and gives a way to someone who walks forward to stand in front of him.

“We meet again.” Venenifer says, looking as smooth and beautiful as the building itself, her dark hair set up in a long, sleek braid that nearly reaches her lower back and wearing a simple but clearly expensive dress with a rather revealing split up her thigh.

“Uhm, yes, hi.” Corin greets her awkwardly. “You look, uhm, lovely.”

“Thank you.” Venenifer lowers her gaze with fake modesty and curtseys. “You look very handsome yourself.” She lifts her gaze and gives him a picture perfect smile. “May I have this dance?”

Corin blinks. “Uh...” He hesitates, but is aware of all the people staring at them and worries what declining her offer might look like to them. He's not there to make enemies, but to find information. Maybe she can help him? Maybe she's good luck in disguise? “Sure.”  
He can feel Din's glare at the back of his neck as they move towards the music.

-

It's been ages since he danced these kinds dances, but he remembers the ground rules and it doesn't take long before he's got the hang of it again. It's like his body remembers even if he doesn't.

The area dedicated to dancing is packed with couples and yet none of them ever bumps into Corin or Venenifer. Corin wonders if it is due to respect or dislike.

“I was pleased to see you arrive.” Venenifer says, her hand resting on Corin's shoulder and eyelashes lowered yet again. “I wasn't sure if you would attend these social gatherings.”

Exhaling an amused huff, Corin shifts his hand a little to avoid touching the skin on her back where the dress also splits to reveal the temptation underneath for those who wanted it. “That makes two of us.” He moves her into a slow turn, his feet keeping up with the music and he looks down to meet her eyes as she sends him a sly glance. “Can I ask you question?” He speaks before she gets the chance to feed him another line she'd practiced in front of a mirror and gives her an innocent smile at the slight frown that appears between her thin brows.

Venenifer quickly schools her features back into pleasantness. “Of course.”

“I suspect some of the servants at the house are still loyal to my grandmother, not me.” The words feel so wrong on Corin's tongue, but he hopes the end would justify him using them. “I'm considering replacing some of them. Would you know where I could find some decent workers?”

For a second, Venenifer's mask slips again and there is a hint of condescending dislike on her face. “Oh, that's easy. Your new friend, Centinnion. His father set him in charge of handling the import and export of work force here on Seswenna. Unfortunately some people fear he may have gotten a little too... involved in his work. I suggest you try some disciplinary measures before you go to the trouble of trying to replace them. The New Republic has made life very difficult here on Seswenna with their new rules, I'm afraid.” She tilts her head and takes a long step as the dance dictates Corin back up and her following, which leads to her being pressed up against him. “But I could help you? Get your servants in line, that is. Or whatever else you might... need.”

Corin continues the dance, circles her without backing off from the closeness she had initiated, and waits until he's right in front of her before he takes her hand and lightly kisses the back of it. “That's okay. I've got everything I need.”

He doesn't look back to see her face as he walks off the dance floor and saunters over to where Din and Hako are standing like two scary looking statues. “It's not Hadar. It's his son. We need to find some way to...” Corin's words trail off as both Din and Hako just stare at him. “What?”

“That woman,” Hako mutters, “is evil. You shouldn't be near her.”

Corin glances over at Din, who is just glaring and making him uneasy. “Din?”

“I'm fine.” Din growls.

Instantly worried, Din being angry with him is the worst kind of luck, the kind that makes Corin terrified, so Corin steps closer to the Mandalorian. “I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean anything by it. I just wanted to get information and I thought that maybe she-”

Din shakes his head, sighs. “No. Don't apologize. You did nothing wrong. I'm sorry. I just...” He shifts his weight and glances around to make sure no one can hear him. “I hate her touching you. I hate her being near you. She and Antonia, they wanted to erase you and use you like some... I hate it, okay? I'm angry with her, not you.”

Flooded with emotion, Corin forgets about their surroundings, can only register how much he loves this man in front of him, how he still can't understand why someone like Din would want someone like Corin or that he'd care about how others treats Corin. He doesn't think, merely acts, and slides his arms around Din to pull him into a gentle hug. “ _Ner kar'ta...”_ This. This is all he needs.

For a couple of seconds, Din allows it, maybe even needs it as much as Corin does, but he is the better soldier and remembers their mission. “Maybe we shouldn't-”

“Dance with me.” Corin mumbles against Din's cloak.

“What?”

“You heard. Dance with me.” Corin's heart is thundering in his chest at the crazy request. He knows Din hates dancing in public. “After Venenifer, I fear there are at least 26 unwed souls at the edge of the dancing floor that are now dying for a chance to get their hands on the Motti fortune. Quite literally.” Their stares feels like clawed hands.

He feels Din's helmet moving, probably scanning the crowd, and how his body tenses up when he realizes Corin is right.  
“I don't know any of these dances.” Din mutters.

“I'll teach you.” Corin offers, hardly daring to hope. “If you want to. Only if you want to.”

Din grumbles, sighs, but eventually he mutters; “Okay.”

-

Leading Din out on the dance floor, Corin turns to face him, determined to ignore the now outright startled look on people's faces. “You sure?” 

Din nods, but remains quiet.

“You really sure?” Corin pushes, now feeling guilty for suggesting this.

“Corin, just...” Din gestures with faint frustration. “What do I do?”

Corin takes a hold of Din's left wrist and places his hand on Corin's hip. “This here. The other down by your side. This is how we start. Roger?”

Din nods.

Corin moves slow, explains and lets Din follow his lead. It is ridiculously charming how the usually so sure-footed Din now appears both awkward and a little clumsy. If it wasn't for Din's determination and the possessive grip he has on Corin the times they are allowed to touch during the dance, Corin would have put a stop to this.  
Instead, Corin finds himself actually enjoying himself. The startled reaction to the others there doesn't even register, it's just him and Din and the music. Good luck is smiling for him to be allowed to experience this.

At one moment, when Din manages a smooth turn and ends up really close to Corin, Corin could have sworn the Mandalorian was smiling too. It definitely doesn't take long before he has the hang of the moves, but he still chooses to let Corin lead and that, well, that is quite flattering.  
It's like they are in a bubble of their own.

Corin even fails to notice how a lot of the couples stop dancing to retreat to the edge of the floor to stare at them, he just savors how there is a lot more room to move.

This is nothing like the sensual couple dance that Paz had taught Corin, or the fun dance he'd learned in the village on Sorgan, this is all polite distance and elegance, and yet they both move a lot closer and touch for a lot longer than is dictated and it turns a boring dance into a thrilling one.

Din's Beskar makes it so Corin can't touch, really touch, much of him, but he knows what is hidden underneath it all and it seems like Din is feeling the same, judging by the greedy hand he has behind Corin's neck that is supposed to be on his shoulder.

When the song comes to an end, they end up chest to chest, Corin finds himself a little breathless and his pulse thumps hard when he hears Din is too. Good luck is certainly being kind tonight!  
Staring at the t-visor, seeing his own eyes reflected back at him, feeling Din's hungry stare, Corin wants nothing more than to leave and go back to the house. Right. Now!

Instead, Din clears his throat and shifts his visor away to nod towards the side of the floor and Corin reluctantly looks over.  
There are a lot of judgmental stares from the people there, this has certainly not endeared Corin to any of them, but there is one person there who is looking at him with approval; Centinnion.

Din steps aside and gestures for Corin to walk first.

Corin forces himself to keep his chin held high, torn between the urge to cower under their glares and defiance with the knowledge that Din is worth more than all of them put together and they can shove their disapproval some place uncomfortable.  
Aiming to make his way over to Hako, Corin does not expect the golden boy to follow him and call his name. Pausing, Corin looks back at him. What kind of luck is this?

“I thought you were just another one of my father's acquaintances. Just another boring soul there for a business deal.” Centinnion looks briefly at Din and then back at Corin, grinning widely. “I had no idea I was looking at someone who shares the same idea as I do and scoff at the notion that the people we call servants are below us and shouldn't be included in our lives.”

Blinking surprised, Corin is forever grateful to good luck for deciding to plant at least one decent soul among the rich on Seswenna. “You think so too?”

“Absolutely!” Centinnion declares eagerly, smacking a hand on Corin's shoulder and squeezing it tight. “There is something I want to talk to you about. Would that be okay?”

Corin nods eagerly and can't believe he could be this lucky. Hadar had placed Centinnion in charge of the slave trade, but the son had clearly ideas and might be very open to the idea of sabotage.

“This way.” Centinnion pulls and Corin stumbles along.

-

The young man leads him to a side-door that brings them to a hallway which then leads to what looks like a training room. But once Corin steps through the doorway and into the room, Centinnion holds up a hand just as Din and Hako around about to follow.  
“Just you. Forgive me, but I'd be more comfortable with just the two of us.”

Corin glances back at Din, who shakes his head, but Corin can't risk losing this opportunity to bring the slavery to a halt. He has to gamble this is good luck speaking. “I'll be fine. And you'll be just outside that door. Okay?”

Din only moves when Hako grabs his arm and makes him.

When the door closes behind them, Corin turns to face Centinnion again. “So what's on your mind?”

“As I said,” Centinnion begins, “while my father and the others consider the servants unworthy of our time and attention, I disagree.”

Corin nods, feeling more and more hopeful. “I'm very glad to hear that. And I was wondering if I could ask you something in connection to that?”

Waving a hand, taking a step closer, Centinnion appears a little impatient. “Yeah, sure, you can ask me whatever you want, if I can ask you something first.”

A little puzzled, Corin shrugs. “Sure.”

“There is something in your household I want.” Centinnion says. “A Twi'lek by the name of Mi'lah. Would you sell her to me? I will give you whatever you want for her. Credits, servants, ships, you name your price.”

Corin frowns, suddenly uneasy. “Mi'lah? Why?”

The grin on Centinnion's face and the light in his eyes makes the hair at the back of Corin's neck stand up. “Because she was such fun. And so naïve. It was hilarious. I pity the people who refuses to mingle with servants, because it can be such fun!”

Remembering Andra's words that Mi'lah had scars on her back from the last rich person she trusted, Corin goes ice cold and he shakes his head. “No.”

“What?”

“No.” Corin repeats, his voice as hard and unyielding as Beskar. “Never. You will never get your hands on her again.”

Centinnion snorts a laugh, tainted by disbelief. “Who do you think you are? You're barely a Valentis, as even your own father wouldn't talk about you. You were an embarrassment to him. The Motti blood in your veins is diluted and won't save you for long. You are a nobody. You're weak.”

Corin can't help it, his gaze drops to the floor to avoid confrontation and his shoulders tense up. He knows Centinnion is right and it hurts. He'd known his father was displeased with him, but he had no idea his presence had been completely erased from the house like bad luck until his return with Din. He had no place among these people, no power, and everyone knew it.

“You are going to give me that Twi'lek.” Centinnion, taking a step closer again, his voice low and threatening. “She's mine.”

“She's not property.” Corin mumbles, almost shuddering with the urge to flee.

“Wrong.” Centinnion scoffs. “She's property and she is 'my' property. And I'm going to have such great fun when I-”

Corin's fist connects with Centinnion's face and the young man drops like a puppet that had his strings cut off. For a moment, Corin just stares with utter shock at the still body, unable to believe he'd just done that.

But the tone of Centinnion's voice, the threat, the knowledge that he had hurt Mi'lah and probably countless more... Corin's anger had taken over for a second and his fist had landed before he knew what he was doing it.  
He just hadn't expected the idiot to go down that easily. Good luck or bad luck?

The answer is two hidden doors inside the room opening up and a group of angry guards swarming into the room. Corin has just enough time to back up one step, draw a breath to call for help, but then the first guard is launching his attack and he is too busy defending himself to shout for Din to come to his rescue.  
Blocking a punch, Corin plants his fist in a second face that evening but has no time to savoring the guard going down as fast as his master as two more are throwing themselves at Corin. 

-

There's far more of them, which is why they manage to land hits, one to his ribs and one to his left cheekbone, but Corin quickly realizes that these are guards who are used to dealing with pampered souls with no real fighting experience. These guys would never have survived on the battlefield.

A hard twist on an arm up behind his back sends one guard howling to the floor with a dislocated shoulder and Corin ducks under the punch sent his way by his buddy, rewarding the miss with an uppercut that sends him flying and out of Corin's hair for the rest of the fight. 

A guard swings a truncheon at Corin, who blocks it with his lower arm, and gives him a harsh keldabe as payback, before turning to grab the next one running at him and sends him slamming face first into the wall.

Breathing hard, Corin holds up his fists and goes into a brief battle with a guard, but two rapid punches to the man's face has him curled up on the floor cupping a broken nose. Lifting his leg and kicking out behind himself, hard, deals with the one trying to sneak up behind Corin, while picking up the truncheon and flinging it at the guard's face deals with the last one standing.

Corin flinches and spins around when there is a small explosion behind him and the door is flung open. Din and Hako burst into the room.  
“I'm sorry!” Corin blurts out. While he's relieved to see Din and Hako, he 'is' standing there surrounded by unconscious people. “I didn't... I didn't mean to... He... and then they...” Oh, he's just made a major mess out of things, hasn't he? Like always. Corin is bad luck on two legs.

Din stalks forward, even stepping on Centinnion, doesn't stop until he's in front of Corin and strangely enough cups his face between his hands. “You okay?”

Corin nods, miserable. He almost wishes Din would reprimand him. It would be better than quiet disappointment.

Hako looks around the room and sighs. “We should get out of here. When his father discovers this...”

“Let's go.” Din mutters, taking the apathetic Corin's wrist and dragging him along.

They almost make it out. Almost. Two steps away from the entrance doors, there is a voice halting them in their tracks.  
“Leaving already?” Hadar walks towards them, still all fake pleasantry so he hadn't heard about what had happened to his son yet. A smidgen of good luck, at least.

Corin just stares until Din nudges him and then he snaps back to life. “Yeah, uh, I just remembered I had some very important things that I have to do. Right now. Very important.”

Hadar nods, clearly not convinced. “Well then, I won't get in the way of important business.”

Corin manages a smile, bows. “Thank you for inviting me into your home. Very kind of you.”

“The honor is all mine.” Hadar replies, about to say something else when a servant appears.

“Sir.” It is a young man with beautiful blue skin. “Qin-Fee has arrived, but no one can find your son.”

While dread strikes Corin, Hadar gives a long suffering sigh and doesn't seem surprised at all. Clearly this has happened countless times before. He turns his attention back to Corin again. “I must go. As I explained earlier, my son is not as conscious of the importance of business are you are, my friend. I must handle this or risk everyone on Seswenna having to handle all things by themselves and then where would we be?”

They share a fake laugh, bow again, and then Corin doesn't hesitate to flee with Din and Hako in tow, down to where his own soldiers are waiting and hurries towards the gates.

“Care to tell me?” Din asks once they are safely outside. “What happened?”

Cringing, Corin wraps his arms around himself as they walk. “I messed up.”

“No.” Din says. “Tell me what happened.”

Corin tells him. But instead of reprimands or quiet disappointment, Din nods with silent approval and slides a comforting arm around Corin's shoulders that actually allows him to ease down a little. Even the scowl on Hako's face disappears and he sends Corin an odd look...  
But while he feels a little better, there is no way to deny that Corin had just ruined their one chance to get to the source of the slave trade. 

But, maybe, just maybe, there was a sliver of good luck among the bad.

“I think, maybe, I know of a different way to get to the source of the slave trade.” Corin mumbles. “Did you hear what that guy said to Hadar when we were leaving? The name?”

Din shakes his head. “Qin-Fee? You know who that is?”

Corin nods, looks over at him. “That's Kinnon's brother. I think he's a smuggler. If we can get to him, I'm fairly certain he'll help us. She said to look him up if we ever needed help.” He then sighs and leans against Din, feeling exhausted. “But how are we going to find him? It's not like we can ask around?”

Din hums and hugs him a little closer. “Lucky for us we know a smuggler of our own...”

-

Sitting on the exam table, Leave-it absently dangles his legs in the air and thinks about the food stalls they had passed by on their way to this doctor's office. “Hey, Zev, do you think we can stop and get some of that fried stuff from that rusty cart? I mean, it smelled amazing!”

“I'm telling you,” The doctor wails, trying to squeeze himself even harder against the wall to avoid the blade to his throat and the hand having a tight hold on the front of his shirt, “there is nothing I can do. The cross-contamination makes it impossible. New lungs would get infected by his blood, new blood would be infected by his lungs. You should be glad it's not able to cross to others in any way, this is a nasty case.”

Zev'sonya presses the blade a little harder, makes a drop of blood slide down the man's neck. “There is nothing you can do within the legal frame. I don't care about that. Tell me what you can do that you don't want the New Republic to know you're doing.”

Leave-it looks over at Mose. “Hey, Mose, my man, how about we stop by that rusty cart and grab some of that fried stuff after?”

The Hutt shrugs, a wheezing mercenary hired as a bodyguard by the doctor squeezed under the end of his tail and a second man clawing at the hand Mose has around his throat. “Ask Lorda.”

“I tried. She's not answering.”

“That's usually a no.”

Leave-it whines, dangles his feet some more, bored and hungry. Eventually, as Zev'sonya is threatening the doctor's internal organs, he grabs his shirt, pulls it on and jumps down from the exam table to walk over to her.  
“Zev. Come on. I'm hungry.” He leans his shoulder against the wall next to the doctor and tilts his head to try to catch her gaze. “Pretty please?”

Rolling her eyes, Zev'sonya releases the doctor, who sinks to the floor with a sob, and turns to face the blond. “You ate before we left.”

“Yeah, but...” Leave-it smiles and inches a little closer to her, reaching out to gently take a hold of her chin. “I'm hungry again.”

She slaps his hand away, holsters the blade and marches towards the exit.

“We're done?” Mose asks.

“We're done.” Zev'sonya confirms as she disappears out of the room and heads back to the ship.

Leave-it cackles happily, dreaming about deep fried goodies while Mose releases the man and removes his tail from the other. “We're stopping for food, right? Mose. Dude. Buddy.”

Rolling his eyes, the Hutt shuffles out of the room. “Sure. If Lorda says so.”

Leave-it blinks and then trots after Zev'sonya. “Zev! Hey Ze-ev!”

It's a couple of hours later, the ship sliding through the darkness of space with a very pleased Leave-it drowsing on his bunk, trying to digest the obnoxious amount of fried food he had inhaled.  
Mose is drowsing too. The only ones hard at work is Junior trying to capture and eat a flying bug unfortunate enough to have ended up on the ship and Zev'sonya sitting in the cockpit while scrolling through her list of doctors on her datapad. And that is when the message arrives.

Zev'sonya hesitates for half a second, looks over at her datapad and the glowing image of some doctor there, but Leave-it switches it off and meets her gaze. “Zev, come on. We have to go.”  
He doesn't mind her dream of finding some cure that doesn't exist, but their friends need help and that reality weighs a whole lot more to him.

She looks over at Mose, who shrugs, and then turns back and enters the coordinates for Seswenna.

Leave-it gawps as he sees the city, he gawps even more when he sees the hanger they have received word to land in. If not for the fact that the Razor Crest is there, he would have been utterly convinced they were in the wrong place.

Walking from the hangar to the house is rather interesting too. Everything is so clean and shiny, except him and Zev'sonya, and the glares from the fancy-pants people there tells him they think so too. He makes sure to grin back at every single one of them, taking delight in messing up their perfection, and it would have been hilarious if not how Zev'sonya is clearly uncomfortable.

Leave-it wants to take her hand, say some reassuring words, but she looks so tense that he isn't one hundred percent certain she won't stab or shoot him for trying either option. He tries to give her a smile when she glances over at him and feels a hint of hope when he sees her features soften a little before a huff from an old dude makes her all pinched up and angry again.  
Leave-it is tempted to shoot the guy.

Finally they reach the house, or the gates to the house, and he gawps yet again when the massive gates open to reveal a beautiful house, a beautiful garden and, finally; Corin and Din.

Leave-it hurries inside, just about giggling as he approaches Corin, who grins happily at the sight of him, and they waste no time in embracing each other in a playful and heartfelt hug.

“You'd think they'd been apart for years and years.” Zev'sonya says with mild resignation.

Din reaches out his hand and she takes it. “Thank you for coming.”

“No problem.” Zev'sonya replies. “I owe you. How can I help?”

Still holding on to Leave-it, Corin looks over at her. “Where's Mose?”

Clearing his throat, Leave-it repeats what Mose had told him to say. “He, uh, thought it would be better if he stayed on the ship. Most places aren't exactly Hutt friendly, and he figured people here wouldn't be happy to see his kind.”

Corin frowns. “No. He's not staying on the ship. We're bringing him here.”

-

Raga walks into the small building, a tiny guard house, and she uses her helmet to scan the poorly lit area. She sees there have been activity there, a lot of feet walking around in the dust, but it is what is on the ground next to the window that really catches her attention.

Walking over, she kneels down and touches what she quickly realizes is blood.

It's his blood, she knows it is. She can feel it in her bones.

_Paz leans against the wall, breathing hard and clutching his right upper arm. One of them had landed a lucky shot when he'd been forced to land the ship after it ran out of fuel. His jetpack is out of fuel too. He had not expected to be running for this long, had thought he'd been able to shake them after a while, but they refuse to give up. And worse; they're good. They are extremely skilled warriors as well as trackers._

_His arm is hurting so bad his fingers are numb, his head is hurting from lack of sleep and Paz knows he has to eat soon or that will become a problem too._

_Blood drips from his hand to land on the dusty ground._

_Paz knows he's in trouble and for once; he has no idea how to get out of it._

Raga gets up, looks around and steps out of the guard house. She's too late. Again.

Who are these hunters? Why are they so determined to get Paz? The only explanation is the saber, but how could they know he has it? 

She's the only one who knows Paz took it.  
Right?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mose is brought to House Valentis where Leo makes a new friend.  
> A stranger arrives in the morning, but is this good or bad luck? There is a late night conversation.  
> Din gets a surprise, Raga continues her search for Paz and Hako sees something beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://imgbb.com/)  
> -  
>  _The art deity cac0daemonia gives us the most beautiful look at one moment in time where Din and Corin forgot all about their surroundings and just had eyes for each other. Din, who hates to dance in public, actually enjoying himself, fancy-dressed Corin amazed and even more in love with Din after this. The beauty of the movement in the clothes as well as the graceful shape of the men themselves is simply breath-taking and the entire piece just radiates how they are in their own little world, lost in the dance and each other, happy and carefree for as long as the song lasts. This is one you SERIOUSLY need to head over to[cac0daemonia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cac0daemonia) and check out the high res version and leave some love for the amazing artist!_  
> -

“Come on. Let's head inside. I have an idea how to get Mose here without ruffling any wigs.” Corin declares, keeping his arm around Leo's shoulders as he guides him up the stairs.

Zev'sonya watches them chatter away as they head up towards the entrance and she can't help smiling a little. Leo's wide eyed awe at the rich surroundings and Corin's fierce inclusion of Mose makes it impossible not to. For some reason, Zev'sonya finds herself relaxing.  
She and Din exchange looks before they follow the other two, lightly bumping shoulders once in a friendly move of two who communicate better without words.  
The second Zev'sonya steps inside the building, the smile vanishes from her face.

“This is Mi'lah.” Corin gestures to a pretty-faced Twi'lek standing there with soft pink skin and big eyes and who lets out a flustered giggle when Leave-it bends down to kiss her hand and drawls some stupid line about how the pleasure is all his. “Mi'lah, this is Leave-it. He's a good guy.”

Zev'sonya's eyes narrows at the look on Leave-it's face at her delighted response to his behavior. Clearly he's thrilled to be met with a smile from a Twi'lek instead of Zev'sonya's usual annoyance. Understandable. It's what she's been trying to tell him that he should have instead of her.

“And this,” Leave-it gestures her way with a grand movement with his arm, “is Zev'sonya.”

The girl has to tear her eyes away from Leave-it, mesmerized by him, but once she does and sees Zev'sonya, she lights up even more for some reason.  
 _”You're a Twi'lek!”_ What was her name? Mi-something? Mi-something chirps this like it is something amazing and even speaks to her in Ryl. She eagerly moves over to her, reaches out to take her hands and seems confused when Zev'sonya pulls her hands away in a sharp movement.

It has been years since Zev'sonya has spoken in Ryl and she isn't entirely sure she can remember it all. She chooses to reply in Basic. “Yes. I'm a Twi'lek. Very observant of you.”

Embarrassed, Mi-something tries an apologetic laugh. _”Forgive me, but I so rarely meet other Twi'leks here. I haven't spoken to one in ages. How are things on Ryloth? Have you news?”_ The words and gestures tumble forward with flustered eagerness.

Leave-it is watching the sweet thing with a warm smile on his face.  
A hard ball forms in Zev'sonya's stomach and she forces herself to focus on Mi-something and tells herself she doesn't care. “I wouldn't know. I've never been there.”

That seems to shock the waif and she finally takes the hint. Clearing her throat, she nods and backs up a step. _“Apologies. I thought...”_ Another trying smile and then she gestures towards a door. “Perhaps you would like to bring you friends to the supper room and we could serve refreshments, Sir?”

But Corin shakes his head. “Not necessary. But can you arrange to move out the kitchen droids?”

Zev'sonya refuses to look at Leave-it or Mi-something so she takes the opportunity to glance over at the suddenly tense Din. Still very anti-droid then? Why does this guy hate droids so much?

Whatever the reason, Din's wishes are respected and when they are gathered in the kitchen there is not a droid in sight. However, Zev'sonya can't help but to note that there are countless items there that she could sell for a small fortune and it's not easy to keep her hands to herself. “Kitchen, Corin? I thought you said you had an idea to get Mose here?”

Corin nods. “It's being arranged. He'll be here soon.”

He'd been gone for no more than thirty seconds after they'd entered the kitchen, what is the man up to? If it had been just about anyone else, Zev'sonya would have been suspicious. But not him. There is no betrayal in him. So she saunters over to the table there, pulls out and chair and sits down to cross her arms and wait.  
Leave-it talks a bit more with Mi-something before he too makes his way over to the table and sits down next to Zev'sonya, as cheerful and bright eyed as always.

Zev'sonya observes the waif leaving the room. If Leave-it has come to his senses upon meeting a nice Twi'lek, that actually makes him smarter than Zev'sonya has given him credit for. She looks over at Corin. “Why are you making her tie her lekkus back?”

Corin looks confused. “I don't... She just did.” He gives a faint shrug. “Isn't it a culture thing?”

Slowly shaking her head, Zev'sonya wonders why the pink airhead hasn't told her new master. “It really hurts, having to wear them like that.”

Corin's eyes widen and he basically bolts out of the room, yelling the girl's name.

Zev'sonya turns her attention over to Din once more, despite feeling Leave-it watching her. “Where's the little one?”

“With a woman called Andra. They're upstairs, trying to find something that can be used as toys somewhere.” The Mandalorian sounds relaxed so this woman must be a decent soul. Good.  
If Leave-it is to stay here, he has to be surrounded by people who won't take advantage of his trusting nature. She can't worry about that while she finds his cure out there in the Galaxy.

-

It doesn't take long before there is the sound of a transport wagon entering the garden, but by then Corin has had plenty of time to think about how he had walked around like a moron while Mi'lah had been in pain because she thought he approved of Antonia's rules. Stuff like this is why he makes for a bad master of the house. Thank the stars for Zev'sonya telling him.  
At least the arrival of Mose is a welcome event. There is no way Corin could allow the Hutt to just be hidden away in the hangar. He is a friend, after all. They even have a friendship bracelet.

The transport backs up to the delivery gate and the kitchen doors slide open.

It had been almost too easy to get one of the droids to record a message from Corin to Mose and then take one of the big wagons mostly used to transport the guards between the Valentis house and their living quarters in the worker's town outside the city, and use it to bring Mose to the house without anyone seeing him.  
Corin is not ashamed to have a Hutt as his friend, but something tells him that his stunt at the party hasn't endeared him to Seswennian society and Mose could become a target because of that. “Here he is!” Corin declares as the wagon's back doors open and connects to the massive ramp used to deliver goods to the kitchen.

Zev'sonya, Din and Leave-it all get up from their seats and walk over to greet the Hutt.

Mose grumbles as he makes his way down the ramp and into the room. “About time. That thing stank of human. You are such a smelly species.”

Grinning, not fooled by his cranky words for a second, Corin is beyond delighted to see him and that, yes, Mose is still wearing the friendship bracelet. It even has two more orbs attached to it!

But then Mose pulls himself an abrupt halt, makes a face and seems to brace for something.

Corin has a brief moment of confusion at this but then there is a terrifyingly loud, piercing scream coming from behind him. Spinning around, heart in his throat, Corin sees Mi'lah standing in the kitchen doorway, shrieking her head off at the sight of Mose.

The scream is so loud it echoes through the house and Corin instinctively covers his ears. He draws a sharp breath to shout that she doesn't have to be afraid, but before he can get the words out; Hako comes running into the room, clearly convinced they are all being horribly murdered. And when he sees Mose, there is no doubt in his mind as to the culprit of all of this murdering.  
Hako grabs Mi'lah's arm, pulls her close and draws his blaster to aim at Mose.

Zev'sonya moves with practiced ease, having done this countless times before, places herself in front of Mose and draws her blaster to aim at the Zabrak. What she doesn't seem to expect is Leave-it taking up position next to her, as does Din with his blaster drawn to point back at Hako, and Corin is shoulder to shoulder with Din. Mose seems surprised by them as well, awkwardly leaning back a little and drooling.

“Don't shoot.” Corin orders Hako, staring directly into his eyes. “Lower your blaster. Now.”

Hako hesitates, confused, looking from the terrified and whimpering Mi'lah to the defensive wall of warriors formed in front of the massive, slobbering space-snail. “Master Corin, I...”

“I said, lower your blaster.” Corin repeats through gritted teeth. “Mose is on our side.”

Dazed, Hako slowly lowers his blaster but doesn't look any less confused.

A happy chirp is suddenly heard and a small shape wobbles into the kitchen. Mi'lah gasps softly and twitches as if she wants to launch herself after the little womp rat, but the little bean is already tottering towards Din and Corin as fast as his tiny legs can carry him.  
But, no, once there, he places a small hand to Din's leg, makes him move it so he can get by, and continues on to the Hutt behind him.

Corin glances back and sees Mose, who keeps his wary gaze on Hako, lowering himself so he can gingerly scoop the child up in his hand and lift him up.

The little bean makes a happy giggle and reaches out to grab a claw-hold of the big face and tugs, making Mose lean down to touch foreheads. The Hutt rumbles affectionately and his eyes drift into a slow blink.

That is when Andra comes running into the room as well, clearly upset at the child's escape from her and worried about Mi'lah's screaming, and when she sees Mose, she has a moment of pure fear and disbelief. Then she darts over to the heater plates and grabs the handle of a pot with still hot stew the droids had been working on and holds it ready to be used as a weapon.

Corin lifts his palms up in a plea for peace. “Whoa! Calm down! Andra, please, it's okay!”

She stares wide-eyed from one to the other, holding on tight to the pot, and seems every bit as confused as Hako at the sight of the child nuzzling and trilling happily to a Hutt, a creature that could just put the baby in his huge mouth swallow him. “W-what... What is...”

“It's okay.” Corin insists, leaning over and placing his hands over Din and Zev'sonya's blasters, making them lower theirs as well. “This is Mose. He's a friend.”

“That is a Hutt.” Hako point out, as if to make sure they were aware of this important detail.

“He's a friend.” Corin repeats, an edge to his voice. He will not have Mose judged by what other Hutts have done. “He's a very good friend of mine, actually. And you will respect him.”

The little bean leans over Mose's hand and lets out a loud calling chirp.

Two seconds later, Junior's head pops up with a exhilarated cheep. When she sees the little bean up there, she instantly reaches out her chubby arms in an eager request to embrace him and the Hutt lowers his hand for them to reunite.

At this point Mi'lah breathes out a soft and trembling sound before Hako quickly and awkwardly catches her as she passes out.

Andra slowly lowers the pot with a stunned look on her face.

Junior wraps both of her arms around the little bean and hugs him so tight he makes a squeak of objection, but once she eases the pressure, he reaches out, grabs her face and pulls until she leans in for them to touch foreheads. The little one trills softly and Junior cheeps quietly in return.

Moving his gaze away from the children as emotion threatens to appear on his face, Mose looks from the slumped Twi'lek in the gawping Hako's arms to the stunned Andra and then sends Corin a dry glance. “Maybe I should have just stayed in the hangar?”

Corin watches the child reunite with his friend as well as his favorite uncle, the very soul who lifts the little one and Junior both and holds them close to his heart, and he shakes his head with a smile. “No. You definitely need to be here.”

-

Sending Hako and Andra out to tend to Mi'lah in her bedroom, Corin starts to explain the situation to the others while Din hunts the kitchen for some food and treats that he brings to the children. “So we were hoping that maybe you knew some way to contact him?”

Zev'sonya frowns. “Can't say I recognize the name...”

The corner of Mose's mouth twitches into an almost smile. “It would mean destroying the slave trade on this planet, Lorda...” He dangles the fact in front of her like bait.

Waving a dismissive hand, Zev'sonya snorts. “Hey, I'm in. You know that, Mose. I just don't want to risk any unpleasant surprises during our little stunt.” She sighs, rolls her shoulders and cracks her stiff neck, obviously horribly tense despite being in safe surroundings.

“Kinnon wouldn't say we could trust him if she wasn't sure.” Leave-it insists in a gentle but firm voice, serious for once. “I would bet my life on it.”

Corin nods. “I agree. I trust Kinnon's word.”

“It's still a moot point if we can't find the man.” Din mumbles, crouched down next to the two children on the floor, gently easing the red cloth around Junior's wrist to cover as much of the blue cloth as possible.

“I can contact him. If the guy is a smuggler, we have our ways.” Zev'sonya gets up from the table. “I'll head back to the ship and send out a message. Shouldn't take long if the guy is on the planet already.”

Leave-it gets up as well. “I'll come too. Protect you from all the rich fogies.”

“No.” Zev'sonya counters in a voice that makes him sit down right away with a look of utter disappointment. “You and Mose wait here. I'll be back soon.” And stalks out before anyone can really object.

Corin wonders what that was all about? Isn't she acting a little weird? A little off?

“What did you do?” Mose suddenly asks, sounding weary.

Instantly worried, Corin is about to apologize, figuring it must have been the stress of Mose's arrival or just the toxic atmosphere of Seswenna making Zev'sonya so tense, but realizes Mose wasn't even talking to him when Leave-it replies.

“I didn't do anything.” Leave-it argues, sounding confused and upset. “I swear!”

Mose rumbles, unconvinced, but then the children demand his attention and he has no qualms about indulging them. Clearly the little bean had been missed as much as he has missed his favorite Hutt.

They spend their time catching up while Zev'sonya is away. Corin is curious to hear about their adventures as he had been a bit surprised to hear that Zev'sonya had allowed Leave-it to come with them.  
“Oh, nothing much.” Leave-it says, yet sounding like he'd been on the best journey ever. “We've been just traveling around. Talking to people. Zev's doing her thing, working her projects, Mose helps and I mostly get in the way.” He laughs a little. “But what about you two? I mean, this place is gorgeous? Is this where you're gonna stay from now on?”

“No.” Corin blurts out and clears his throat a little awkwardly. “I mean... I don't think so?” He looks over at Din, hoping he is right. He doesn't think Din has been sold on the rich life style, but maybe he should have asked first.

Din, now sitting on the floor with the kids, leans against Mose's lower back, stretching out his arms and placing his elbows back to rest on top of the tail. “We haven't talked about it. Corin's got some stuff to work out here and our little plot to see through first before we start planning anything else.”

Corin makes a mental note to ask Din if he wants to stay, because Corin most certainly does not. But he also can't help but to notice the way Mose glances over at the Mandalorian, a little confused and painfully at loss for how to react to the contact, but once again the little bean and Junior objects to him being distracted and he simply turns back to entertain them and leaves Din where he is.

Later Zev'sonya returns with a very surprising message.

-

“He'll come to the house tomorrow morning.” She picks up a fruit from the bowl on the kitchen table and takes a bite. “The second I mentioned his sister, he was on board.”

“See?” Leave-it grins. “I knew it!”

Chewing, Zev'sonya shrugs and looks over at Corin. “I guess we'll find out tomorrow.”

Once that is settled, Corin realizes there is one thing he hasn't thought about. Finding bedding for Zev'sonya and Leave-it is not a problem, there are plenty of guest rooms, but what about Mose? Getting him through the kitchen door and into the main house may be a problem as the door was not made for someone of Hutt size, but Mose defuses the situation quickly by stating he'll just sleep in the kitchen. Corin is not happy about this, but Mose is adamant and, fine, then the Hutt is at least going to be comfortable, even if it is the last thing Corin does.

Mi'lah appears when Corin is trying to hold on to the three duvets, two blankets and a thin mattress he has in a tight embrace after looting them from a guest room. The Twi'lek appears very distraught, a little paler pink than usual, but at least her lekkus are swinging free.  
“I-I'm so sorry, Sir!” She blurts out, trying to keep out of his way as he lumbers down the hallway with his haul and trying to keep up with him at the same time. “I didn't mean to... It was terribly rude of me a-and I...” Mi'lah has to scuttle to the side as Zev'sonya marches by them with an armful of duvets and pillows of her own and Mi'lah sends her a startled look before continuing her speech. “Of course I will treat all... guests as welcomed guests. W-with respect and-”

“Scuze me!” Leave-it exclaims and she has to scuttle out of his path as he makes his way by them with an armful of mattresses so massive he's just about hidden underneath them all. “Coming through!”

Corin pauses while Mi'lah stares after Leave-it and Zev'sonya, then looks even more startled when Din emerges from a room with pillows and duvets as well and follows them towards the kitchen. “Mi'lah.” Corin gets her attention. “It's fine. Don't worry about it. Go back to your room. Get some rest.”

Her eyes flicker back and forth between the others and Corin before she gives a helpless shrug. “You're not supposed to be carrying stuff around, Sir. I mean... That's... That's what we are for.”

Corin shakes his head. “No. That is 'not' what you are for.” He sighs, hoists his cargo and continues his walk towards the kitchen. “Go get some rest.”

In the kitchen, Corin wanders over to where there is now a massive pile of mattresses, duvets, blankets and pillows by the east wall. He adds his as well, takes a step back, places his hands on his hips and considers the sight. “I think we got some more in the other wing of the house?”

Zev'sonya discretely puts a silver knife back among the others hanging on the wall and sends Corin a grin. “I think this will do.” She looks over at Mose. “Or what do you say?”

The Hutt shuffles closer. “I told you I didn't need anything. I've slept on floors before. I'm not a weak human.” He lowers himself when the little bean starts climbing his belly and eases him up with his hand until he reaches the point where the little bean jumps and face-plants on the improvised Hutt-bed. Junior hears the muffled laugh from her friend and she instantly squeaks and holds her arms up to Hutt, wanting to do the same. Mose sighs and obeys, trying and failing not to smile when she lands with a trilling giggle.

Corin grins. “Yeah, I think this will do.”

It's not a big surprise when the little bean quite firmly refuses to be separated from Junior and Mose. Corin knows its probably not a good idea to let him have his way when bean gets so angry that several items start to rattle in the kitchen, but he and Din agrees to let him spend the night in the kitchen with them this one time instead of insisting. They pick their battles.

Still, it is strange to crawl into bed with Din in this room and not have the child there. It makes him latch on to Din instead of the Mandalorian holding on to him as usual. He rests his head on Din's breastplate, wishing Din felt safe enough to remove the armor so he could actually hear his heartbeat. “Din?”

“Mmh?” Din replies absently, running a gloved thumb back and forth over Corin's still bruised fingers as if he can wipe away the consequences of punching someone while wearing fancy, impractical rings.

“You don't want to stay here, do you?” Corin asks, hoping he knows the answer and dreads being wrong. “In this house? On Seswenna?”

Din hesitates. “It's your home...”

“No.” Corin hoists himself up to look down at the t-visor. “No,” he repeats, “this is not my home. It never was. I hate this place. I hate the people here.” He reaches up and gently touches the lower part of the t-visor. “My home is with you. With our kid. With you two. You are my home.”

Despite the underarmor and Beskar separating them, Corin feels Din shiver. He closes his eyes when Din's hands come up to cup his face and eases him into a gentle, lingering kov'nyn. There are words in softly whispered Mando'a that Corin doesn't understand, but he understands the raw emotion in them. He feels the same. Sometimes the actual words aren't the most important part.  
Eventually Corin eases down to rest his head on Din's chest again. He feels the soft rise of Din's chest as he breathes, feels Din's hand resting on his lower back and how their legs are all tangled up together. Suddenly he realizes something.

“Din?”

“Mmh?” Din replies.

Corin doesn't really move, but he smirks. “We're all alone in this room.”

Din's fingers twitches on his lower back and Corin's smug smile widens. Like Corin had read the meaning behind the Mando'a, Din reads the meaning behind his words.

And the smugness lasts amidst Corin's kisses and soft caresses, right up to the moment when Din reaches up and switches off his helmet microphone to muffle himself and Corin is suddenly hit with the sound of Din's actual voice rambling mindless praise his way.

Yes, it is muffled, but it is unfiltered, shaky and so very human, and Corin can't move. He can't breathe. He can only listen to the most beautiful voice he has ever heard uttering his name.

In that moment, it feels like there is no helmet between them and Corin begs him to say his name again.

Din does.

-

“Paz. Paz, do you copy?” Raga leans back in the pilot seat, her helmet against the headrest, and she closes her eyes as she speaks. “Paz?”  
The ship glides through the darkness of space and the absence of his voice.

There are no more leads to follow. She knows he got to a second ship, made a second escape against all odds because he is just that skilled and stubborn, but she has no idea where he went. Raga has already checked out the three closest planets but found no trace of the ship or him. All she can think of doing right now is move by planet after planet and call him on the comlink in hopes of getting a reply.  
That hope is slowly dwindling and she hates how fear is starting to mix with her anger. He can't be dead. He can't be. Not after everything. He's survived every near death experience before, he will again.

“Paz, do you copy?”

If he was dead, she'd know. She'd feel it. He's her other half, so she'd know. So he's alive. He's okay.

“Paz, do you copy?”

Sighing, Raga reaches out to shift course a little and that is when it happens.

“..aga? Do y.... py me?” The transmission is weak, his voice keeps breaking up and falling out, but it's Paz!

Jolting into an upright position, Raga's heart starts to race. “Paz! I copy! Where are you?” She lifts her vambrace and tries to scan for his location. She manages to enhance the signal a little.

“Raga?” His voice still sounds a little rusty, but she's starting to suspect it isn't the transmission and the thought makes her stomach clench uneasily.

“It's me. Paz, tell me where you are. I'll get you out.”

“You shouldn't be here.” He replies, slurring his words a little. “What if you're-”

“I'm not.” Raga bites him off, her words stained with the bitter disappointment she'd felt when she'd found out. She keeps trying to pin his location down on her vambrace, but he's too far away. “But I fully intend to be, so you better tell me your location right now or I'll find someone else, someone who's braincell isn't lonely!”

There is the sound of his soft, exhausted laughter and it is a beautiful sound. “I've missed your charm, riduur.” A quiet hiss of pain. “I'm on-”

“Don't worry.” An unfamiliar voice suddenly speaks up on their transmission. “I hacked your system a while back, Big Blue. We know where you are. Look to your left.”

“Paz.” Raga orders, feeling ice cold. “Tell me where you are.”

Paz' transmission starts to break down again. He's on the move.

“Paz. Answer me.” Raga frantically prods at her vambrace, can't pick up the transmission again, can't even pin down the direction the signal is coming from. “Where are you?” She turns to her ship's computer, pulls up a schematic of the planets in the vicinity, but it could be any one of them, plus a couple of moons. It would take her weeks to search them all and he'd be either dead or long gone by then.  
“Paz, do you copy?” Raga says, pressing her hand to her helmet as if that can will the signal to be stronger, go further. “Don't you 'dare' drop out on me, Paz. You answer me right now. Paz! Do you copy?”

Frustration is building. Frustration and even more fear. The strangers had found him? Were they fighting now? Did they want Paz dead? He would rather die than give up that damn saber...  
“Do you copy? Paz?” Raga kicks at the panel in front of the controller. “PAZ!”

A light begins to flash to her left and she instantly turns to see what it is, hoping it is a reading of energy or a ship appearing on the radar, something that can give her a direction, but instead she finds an orange bulb blinking to warn how the fuel tank is dangerously close to empty.

She stares at it for a second, then she snaps.

Roaring out her fury and helplessness, Raga slams her fist into the blinking light again and again, she keeps hitting, keeps screaming, even long after the bulb is completely shattered and the metal around it is dented like it had been struck by a meteor. She then slumps back in the chair, breathing hard, and tries to reach Paz again for much longer than she should.  
There is no reply.

Clenching her aching fingers into a tight fist and relaxing them, again and again, Raga stares at the darkness in front of her transparisteel and her mind churns.

-

It's early morning when Corin enters the kitchen with Din right behind him. It's not that Corin doesn't trust Andra, Mi'lah or Hako, but he still is driven by some weird urge to make sure Mose, Junior and the little bean are okay.

A mix of relief and feeling stupid washes over him the second he steps into the room and sees Mose drowsing on the make-shift Hutt-bed while the two children are making some kind of fortress of pillows and blankets around him. The little bean is too busy to properly greet him and Din. “Good morning to you too.” Corin says, but only gets an absent chirp and an ear-flick as a reply as the child tries to prop up a pillow under Junior's stern observation. Fine, okay, Corin can take a hint. He leaves the children to their work. “Sleep well?” Corin asks Mose as he pulls out a chair, spins it around before sitting down on it, crossing his arms to rest them on top of the backrest.

Mose rumbles sleepily and reluctantly pulls himself up, causing part of the fortress to crumble.

The child and Junior both make indignant sounds of offense and the Hutt mumbles an apology before focusing on Corin again. “I think they slept for two hours. Tops.”

“Drink?” Din asks from over by the heater plates and Corin looks over to see him lifting a box with Mose's favorite herb tea.

“Yeah. Thanks.” Mose replies and lets out a long, drawn out yawn.

Amused and feeling slightly guilty, Corin turns back at Mose and is about to apologize and offer to look after the children so Mose can have a nap but never gets around to it as he nearly flails back off his chair in pure shock at the sight that greets him.  
Reflexes makes Corin grab a hold of the back of the chair and he avoids falling.

Mose frowns. “What?”

Corin's eyebrows are somewhere up by his hairline and he tries to glue on a polite smile, but he has a feeling he's fooling no one. “Nothing.” He gets up and quickly moves over to kneel down by the children and helps them rebuild their fort.  
Hutts don't have teeth, everyone knows that, but apparently the answer to how they are able to get food down is that the back of their mouth and their throat are lined up with countless sharp and horrifying spikes. Corin makes a mental note to be a little more careful around Junior's mouth in the future.

“Here.” Minutes later, Din walks over and holds a large bowl out for Mose to take, which he does and promptly tips the content into his mouth, uncaring of the scalding temperature of the liquid poured into his maw.

“Savoring stuff isn't your breed's specialty, am I right?” An unfamiliar voice says.

Din and Corin both draw their blasters as they spin around to face whomever had spoken, while Mose instantly curls his tail around the children and pulls them close despite their squealed objections at their fortress being torn down again.

By the kitchen table, a young, dark haired human, wearing all black clothes on his wiry form, is holding and studying a knife with a faint smile on his face. He looks over at them with smug confidence. “You really should update your security, Motti.”

Corin feels a flare of anger before he too gets a look of smug confidence and responds by lowering his blaster and giving an insolent smile in return.

The dark haired man frowns, but then the tip of a blaster muzzle touches the back of his head.

“And you should learn to watch your back.” Zev'sonya states in a cold voice. Corin will never stop being amazed at how quiet she can be when she decides to sneak up on someone.

Chuckling, the stranger drops the knife and slowly lifts his hands. “Fair enough.” He keeps his gaze on Corin, though. “But you guys were the ones who wanted to talk.”

“You're Kinnon's brother.” Corin states the obvious. He glances over at the child and sees him looking at the stranger, but it is close to impossible to say whether he's still annoyed over his ruined fortress or disliking this new person. He's not throwing vases at least...

“Laszo Qin-Fee.” Laszo makes a light salute without lowering his hands or moving them too much, still very much aware of Zev'sonya's blaster to his head. His sharp eyes shifts over Corin, then Din and finally Mose and the children. “How did my sister end up with a crew like this?”

“I was a Trooper too.” Corin says. “When she decided to defect, me, this crew and some others decided to help her.”

Laszo lowers his arms and nods. “Well, I owe her so her debt is my debt. What do you need me to do?”

There is a moment of tense silence, then Zev'sonya looks over at Din, who hesitates and finally lowers his blaster, and only then does she do the same.

“From what I understand, you work with Centinnion and deliver slaves to Seswenna on behalf of some Hutt?”Corin says.

Laszo shrugs, pulls out a chair and sits down by the table. “Technically it is called 'servants' now.” He grins at the non-amused looks he gets and only sobers up when Zev'sonya places the blaster to the back of his head again. “Okay...” He lifts his hands again. “Okay, no jokes. Fine.”

She removes the blaster.

“My debt to my sister isn't my only one.” Laszo says with a sigh and leans back in his chair with a gesture of 'what can you do?'. “It's not like I can refuse to obey. Lubba would have my head.”

Mose makes a sound of frustration. And the child's ears flatten.  
Corin looks over at them. “Something wrong?”

“Lubba the Hutt is not someone we can negotiate with.” Zev'sonya says, a displeased expression on her face. “You know all the bad things you've heard about Hutts? He's one of them.”

“So we kill him.” Din states. His voice is hard as Beskar and filled with distaste.

Corin opens his mouth to object, but closes it again when he realizes that he's actually surprisingly okay with taking out a sadistic slave dealer. He glances over at Mose. “What do you think?”

Mose looks down at Junior having a tug-of-war with the little bean over a green pillow and runs a gentle hand over her head. “I think... one less bad Hutt in the Galaxy might be a good thing for the rest of us.”

-

“But will it end the slave trade?” Corin asks, reluctant to take on the mission if this Lubba would just be replaced with someone else. “Can't they just get someone to take his place?”

“Not a chance.” Zev'sonya replies with a touch of glee. “The New Republic has struck down hard on the Five Families and it would take years, if it can be done, for someone new to rebuild what Lubba has. Trust is rare among our kind and they'd have to build up a new network from scratch under the new rules. If someone was to try, my guess is that it would draw the attention of our new rules and not be met with enthusiasm.”

Nodding, reassured, Corin then addresses the next problem. “But this means we have to get close to Lubba somehow.”

Laszo gives the exact kind of grin Kinnon does before pulling a crazy stunt. “And I know just the way to do it.”

Suddenly not so reassured anymore, Corin is about to ask him to specify when Leave-it walks into the room. “The way to do what? Who's that? What did I miss? Is there any food left?”

Zev'sonya rolls her eyes and points him in direction of some rolls on a counter by the heating plates.

“Lubba is always looking to make a deal.” Laszo shifts his glittering gaze over at Mose. “If a fellow Hutt was to appear with some prime merchandise, he would agree to a meet.”

“Merchandise?” Din's voice is dripping with suspicion.

Laszo grins. “Slaves.”

Munching on a roll, Leave-it saunters over to stand next to Corin and looks from one to the other, clearly confused. “Wait, we're selling slaves now? And, seriously, who is this new guy?”

“No, you idiot.” Zev'sonya snaps. “We're going to fake it. Mose, you okay playing bad guy?”

Mose shrugs.

“Din, your helmet rules you out. You're back-up. Corin, you and me will pretend to be house slaves. We'll go in with Mose, get close and take Lubba down.”

“Hey.” Leave-it lowers the roll with an upset sound. “What about me?”

“You're back-up too.” Zev'sonya mutters.

“Come on.” Leave-it objects, looking over at Corin for support. “Why can't I come too? I'm cute!”

“Because,” Zev'sonya says, walking over to stand behind him and Corin, “this.” And she grabs a handful of each man's butt.

Leave-it goes up on the tip of his toes with a loud, startled yelp. Din's t-visor turns to her and not in a nice way. Corin doesn't react beyond a delayed glance over at her.

“That's why.” Zev'sonya says. “You'd blow our cover within ten seconds.”

While Leave-it deflates, Corin sees another problem with her little plan. “I'll ruin it too. No one is going to believe I'm a slave. House slaves are slender and beautiful, I'm too chunky and not-”

Din's t-visor now snaps over to glare at him like Corin had just offended his ancestors and Corin forgets how to speak for a couple of seconds.

“You'll do fine.” Zev'sonya says with a touch of resignation, as if she too can't believe he just said that. She looks at Laszo. “When can you get us in?”

Grinning, stretching out his arms as if to reveal the wonder that is him, Laszo says; “Tonight! I was sent ahead to arrange things with the brat, Lubba is arriving in seven hours. He will stay in orbit for about two hours before moving on to the next planet of business. That's our opportunity. Be ready. I'll meet you in the Motti hangar in seven hours.” He gets up, salutes them again and wanders out the delivery door where he'd made his way in.

“We're going to need a disguise.” Zev'sonya mumbles, clearly not pleased with her own idea.

“I... I think I can help with that...” A meek voice says and everyone turns to see Mi'lah take a nervous step inside the room. She wrings her hands in front of her, only daring to look at Corin and Din. “If you will let me help?”

“Me too.” Hako says, stepping up next to her, straight-spined as always and determined. “I'll be back-up with Master Djarin.”

And that is how Corin later ends up in Mi'lah's room in this ridiculous outfit, trying to stand still and not flinch while Mi'lah adds some dark color around his eyes. “This is stupid.” He mutters.

“Well, you won't let me do more colorful stuff, so this is the best I can do. Just a little bit more, Sir.” She continues for a few more seconds, then takes a step back and studies him with a critical eye before giving an approving nod. “Perfect.”

Deciding he might as well get it over with and prove to the others that there is no way anyone will believe someone would actually pay credits for him, Corin stalks out of the room, across the hallway and stomps into the sitting room where they are meant to gather.  
Inside, only Andra, Hako and Leave-it are present, but Leave-it lets out a loud whistle at the sight of Corin.

“Yeah, really funny.” Corin mutters, stalking inside with a giggling Mi'lah trailing after him. “This is ridiculous. I 'look' ridiculous!” Suddenly the fancy outfit he'd worn earlier seems quite nice.

Walking around shirtless doesn't bother him, Corin does that all the time, but he's fairly certain these black pants are actually liquid paint instead of fabric and the stupid shiny-black, almost metallic, jacket-robe-thing he's wearing glitters and flows dramatically if he takes so much as a single step, and that is not even starting on the silver pinching his earlobes or the stuff Mi'lah put around his eyes.  
There is the clatter of Beskar as the Mandalorian enters the room and Corin turns to him in hopes of at least convincing Din that this is a horrible idea. “Din, I-”

Din makes a weird sound and then his HUD must malfunction for a moment because Din walks straight into a startled Hako despite him standing in plain sight.  
To make things even stranger, Din then backpedals directly into a small table with a glass figurine and a huge vase with red flowers on it.  
The table promptly topples over, the figurine hits the floor and smashes into a thousand pieces, but Din lunges and manages to catch the vase with only some water and two flowers dropping to the floor.

“Din?” Worried, Corin rushes over to him. “Din, you okay?”

Din abruptly holds the vase out towards him and Corin awkwardly takes it. “Din?”

“You're...” Din clears his throat, shaking the water off his gloves. “You're wearing that?”

Looking down at the flowers he's holding, Corin shrugs. “I told you it wouldn't work.”

Din mumbles something, but Corin is not entirely sure it is words. And Din wouldn't stutter, right?

“Oh, I think it is working.” Leave-it declares with a wide and almost evil grin. A grin that turns into awe when Zev'sonya steps into the room as well. “Wow...”

Glaring at him, looking every bit as uncomfortable as Corin feels, Zev'sonya forces herself to keep her chin up. There is a lot of yellow skin on display with bare shoulders, a deep cleavage, splits in interesting places, and the almost glowing purple dress hugs her every curve in a very suggestive way. Plus her high heels are narrow and sharp enough to act as a weapon if she feels like it.

Mi'lah claps her hands together in delight.

“Wow.” Corin agrees. She looks absolutely beautiful with the colors really complimenting each other along with the delicate bandana, the enhanced eyelashes and her painted lips.  
Hako gives a mute nod, spellbound by the sight.

Din is the only one not looking, still keeping his t-visor on Corin for some reason.

Zev'sonya breaks and awkwardly crosses her arms. Her muscles reveals further how tense she is. “Let's just get this over with!”

-

Kiergan looks over the notes on the datapad, nods and hands it back to Jana. “Looks good.” Ever since the downfall of Gideon, the rumor of a safe haven under ST-2199's protection seems to have reached even the darkest corners of the Galaxy and new defects are arriving almost daily. They are barely keeping up with security and supplies, but so far things are going surprisingly well.  
He suspects that has a lot to do with Jana. That woman is a far better leader than he'll ever be and he's eternally grateful to have her here. “Thank you.” He says, and means for a lot more than just the report.

Smiling, she nods. Understanding.

After Jana has left his make-shift office, Kiergan gets up and heads for the door as well. He should check up on the weapons room security. He's worried after the last batch of arrivals had brought in some seriously dangerous heavy ordinance.

An arm appears as Yurei places his palm against the wall and blocks his way out of the room.  
Sighing, Kiergan looks over at him. “What?”

“You forgot to eat.” Yurei states, staring at him with those horribly pitch black eyes of his and a slight smile. Like he always does.

Kiergan glances over at his desk and sees the plate he's forgotten all about. “Oh.” When was the last time he ate? He can't remember. There's too much to do. “Later.”

Yurei shakes his head ever so slowly, still smiling and not blinking. It's not fair that someone this creepy has to look as good as he does.

Kiergan's eyes narrow. “Move.”

Yurei does the slow head shake again, still smiling, still fencing him in, still so close...

He doesn't mean to, knows the danger of it, but Kiergan's gaze dips briefly to the man's lips.  
Yurei catches the act, of course he does, and the smile widens.  
Oh, no... Kiergan swallows hard, knows what is about to happen and that he should say no. Should.

“Let me kiss you.” Yurei requests with smooth confidence.

Kiergan's lips part to say no, which is why it makes no sense to hear himself say; “Okay.”

He doesn't have too much time to be annoyed with himself as Yurei wastes no time in doing exactly that, drawing him into another one of his tantalizing and distracting kisses. There is something in the way his lips move that just makes Kiergan's own respond and submit. It always starts off as a quiet teasing thing, grows warmer and firmer, and then somehow it deepens and becomes hungry and it is really, REALLY difficult to remember why this isn't a good idea.

And then, of course, he is always reminded. Like today when a hand behind Kiergan's neck, a welcome touch, is followed by Yurei's other hand sliding over and down from Kiergan's hip to his ass and Kiergan is pulled close against that tempting body in front of him.  
A wave of lust rushes through Kiergan and snaps him out of his haze. Dammit, he hardly knows this man! And unlike Corin, there are so much wrong with this one.

Breaking the kiss with a frustrated sound, Kiergan pushes Yurei away and stares at him with breathless anger. “I don't even know your name. Don't put your kriffing hand on my ass when I don't even know you name.”

Slightly breathless as well, Yurei's smile still doesn't waver. “Let me kiss you again and I'll tell you.”

Kiergan leans his head back against the wall and tries to will his pulse to stop racing. “For real?”

Yurei nods. He takes a step closer, his black eyes fixated and smile sharp like a blade.

Kiergan shouldn't. He really shouldn't. This is a bad idea. So very bad.

There is a cheerful beep and boop as Mouse rolls into the room and half a second after that, Heiden appears as well. He looks from Kiergan to Yurei and back again. “Uh... Sorry if I'm interrupting something?”

Kiergan shakes his head, forces himself to get his act together. “You're not. What's up?”

“The, uhm, the scary Mandalorian is here.” Heiden replies.

Fighting against a smile, Kiergan tilts his head. “Heiden, I'm afraid you're not really narrowing down which one that is. It could be any one of them.”

“Ah.” Heiden nods, then glances around to check that said Mandalorian isn't there before leaning forward to whisper. “The one in gray and red. The lady Mandalorian.” He straightens again. “She wants to refuel her ship.”

Kiergan frowns. “Raga is here? Alone?”

“Roger.” Heiden shifts his weight uneasily. “And she wants to talk to you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And should you, dear reader, be curious as to why Corin was so startled by what he saw when Mose yawned? I suggest you google 'leatherback turtle teeth'... xD


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corin needs some reassurance.  
> Lubba the Hutt appears with all of his ugliness.  
> And baby sitting duties becomes complicated...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ ](https://imgbb.com/)
> 
> _No wonder poor Din blue screened at the sight of this! *flails* The art deity cac0daemonia came after my life with this one! Aaaaah! Corin looks absolutely gorgeous, the muscle, the painted on pants and flashy shirt! Dat v shape is going on my death certificate. And that is not even mentioning the eyeliner, the fancy hair and the ear clips! *fans self* Mix that hotness with his uneasy expression, it is the most perfect mix xD How can he be so oblivious?? xD Zev, omg, the color of that dress is GORGEOUS! Her outfit is beautiful, her tiara is beyond amazing, her make up is purrrrfect, the muscle and elegance is breath-taking! Dat hip and leg curve! Yum! I am in awe!!_
> 
> -  
> 

Walking out of the castle and over to the ship, Kiergan gives Raga a light salute, old habits die hard when meeting someone he acknowledges as of higher rank, but he lowers his hand a little awkwardly when her t-visor merely glares back at him. “What do you need?”

“Fuel.” Raga replies. “And him.” She points.

Glancing over his shoulder, Kiergan first thinks she means Yurei, hovering behind him, but then sees her finger is actually aiming at the suddenly very pale Heiden at the very back. “What?” Kiergan looks back at her. “Heiden? Why?”

“Paz is in trouble.” Raga's words are short, clipped with tight emotion. “I managed to get within communication distance, but I lost him when the enemy found him. I couldn't track down his signal, but I'm thinking your technical boy can.” A strained breath. “I need to find Paz. Fast. Understand?”

Kiergan glances back at Heiden again, sees the boy's eyes are now almost bigger than his face, sighs and looks back at her. “Listen, I can't just give him to you. This isn't the army. He's not my property.” Kiergan lifts a calming hand when he sees her clench her fists. “Wait. Hear me out. Just, hear me out.”

“I don't have time for long speeches.” Raga warns him.

“I'll ask him. Okay?” Kiergan says. “I'll come with you, that'll make it easier for him.”

“Me too.” Yurei says.

Kiergan glares back at him. “You're staying here.”

Yurei grins. “If you're going, I'm going.”

“I don't care.” Raga grits out. “As long as the Slicer goes.”

-

It is approaching time to leave for the hangar, but Corin is not happy and he's not even bothering to hide it. Sulking, he walks down the hallway. He looks stupid and he feels stupid. He's going to ruin everything as no one is going to believe he's high quality anything.  
Corin feels a glimmer of hope and thanks his good luck when he sees Din step out into the hallway as well, having dropped off the little bean in the kitchen where Mi'lah will look after the children while they are gone. “Din. Wait up. I got to talk to you.”

Din halts, but he keeps his t-visor slightly angled away from Corin. “I explained everything to him. It seems like he understands. You don't have to worry about the kid.”

“I'm glad to hear that.” Corin says. “Then I just have to worry about me ruining this mission.”

Din makes a quizzical grunt, but doesn't look over at him.

“Din, come on.” Corin almost pleads. “Tell them I can't do this.”

“You don't have to if you don't want to.” Din replies. “You know that, right? All you have to do is say 'no', and we won't do this.”

Corin shifts his weight uneasily. He's the one who insisted on them taking on the slave trade so he should just shut up and man up, but he doesn't want to be the one to ruin their one chance at actually succeeding. “Can't... Can't you tell the others that I can't do it?”

Din sighs, still not looking at him. “Corin. If you don't want to do this, we won't. It's that simple.”

“But it's not that I don't want to,” Corin nervously blurts out, “but this is a dangerous mission and I don't want to be the one who is to blame when it goes wrong.”

“ _When_ it goes wrong?”

“Yeah. When. We really should dress up Leave-it instead, a-and just make sure no one grabs his ass. I mean...” Corin gestures frantically at himself. “Look at me, Din! No one is going to believe I'm worth a fortune!”  
And just like that, Din's t-visor snaps over at him and he looks. He really looks.  
While Corin can't see Din's eyes, he feels them and the intensity makes him shut his mouth so fast his teeth click and he automatically takes a step backwards.

“I'm looking.” Din says, his voice a deep and intimate caress, making Corin back up another step and this time, Din follows.

Corin keeps backing up, his pulse picking up its pace and he's feeling strangely light-headed, starting a little when his back meets the wall and can only stare as Din continues moving closer until he's all up in his personal space. Corin is a bit confused. His instinct is warning him of some kind of danger and yet he's not scared.

“If you don't want to do this because you don't want to wear this outfit, that's fine. I'll end the mission right here and now.” Din states in a calm tone. “But this?” Din's voice and t-visor drops low while his hand comes up to trail his fingers down the curve Corin's hip-bone. “They will offer more than a fortune. They will offer their every last credit to touch this.”

Corin's lips part in silent surprise at Din's words. Corin has never been shy, he was never allowed to be shy throughout his life, but now he suddenly 'feels' every inch of exposed skin in a way he's never felt before.

“They will kill each other for the chance to own this.” Din continues, having to visibly force his t-visor up to meet Corin's gaze. “Trust me.”

He does. Corin trusts Din completely. What Corin doesn't trust is his own ability to speak right now, so he nods.

“Okay then,” Din draws a deep breath, releases him and steps back, “do we find a different way of taking down this Hutt or are we going through with this?”

Corin draws a very careful breath, clears his throat and finds his voice again. “I can do this.”

“That's not what I asked.” Din replies.

Knowing this is a rare and golden opportunity to get to the actual source behind the slave trade, good luck might not grant them such a chance again, and trusting that Din would tell him if Corin would endanger the mission, Corin nods with determination. “I want to do this.”

“Okay then.” Din's t-visor dips slightly again and that makes the ghost of his touch on Corin's hipbone flare up. “Let's head for the hangar.”

“In a second.” Why is Corin's voice sounding so weird? “I just... I want to say goodbye to the little bean too. Tell him we'll be back.”

Din sighs, reaches out and cups the side of Corin's face. Despite the glove, there is an obscene amount of affection in that touch. “Go. I'll wait.”

-

Mi'lah keeps her gaze on the floor, tries to listen to the little child chirping away a small distance from her, but there is just no way she can block out the creepy and looming presence of the big, yellow Hutt. Even the tiny Hutt playing with the child makes her skin crawl.

Master Corin has given the order that they are to be treated as guests but Mi'lah can't stop wishing they were gone. The big one is scowling at the children and does not look pleased at all.  
His expression makes Mi'lah's belly all tense and she has to force herself to stay in the room. She has to look after Master Corin and Master Din's child, who weirdly enough has no name yet, even if that means being in the presence of Hutts. Why her kind Master would allow such creatures into the house is a mystery to her.

Speaking of which, her Master appears next to the scowling Hutt, glances at the child and the tiny Hutt before looking up at the sour face. “You ready?” He asks.

The Hutt doesn't look away from the child and his offspring. “She won't understand...”

Master Corin sighs and looks over them as well. “I know. But at least she will be safe here.”

“Will she?” The Hutt's eerie eyes move to look over at Mi'lah.

“Yes.” The Master softly insists. “I promise.”

The Hutt makes a sound, as if he doesn't believe the Master's word, and it takes a second for Mi'lah to realize that he isn't deeming her unworthy of looking after his offspring, no, he's worried. That's the look on his face; worry. He isn't scowling, he's worried.   
He's worried Mi'lah will hurt the smaller Hutt.  
Blinking, Mi'lah is utterly stunned at the idea that she'd be looked upon as the bad one, as a threat, to a youngling. By a Hutt! What kind of loopy logic is that?

Suddenly there is a chirp and the adorable child of Master Corin and Master Din has fearlessly wandered over to stand in front of the big Hutt, who sighs and eases himself down to place a hand on the child's head.  
“You have to look after her, little one. Can you do that for me?” The Hutt asks. “Keep her safe.”

The child reaches up and takes a hold of his huge hand with its tiny fingers and coos.

Now curious, the tiny Hutt looks over and makes a quizzical sound.

“And you.” Master Corin says, crouching down next to his child, getting his attention. “You look after yourself too, okay? Uncle Mose, me and your father will be back real soon. You two stay out of trouble and have fun until we get back.” He reaches out and draws his fingers along the child's left ear, getting a trilling giggle in return.

The tiny Hutt wiggles over, clearly feeling she's missing out, and cheeps cheerfully as she reaches up to the huge Hutt.

The yellow Hutt pulls himself up a little and places his hands over hers. “Listen, you're going to stay here because I have go do something. It is going to be dangerous so I can't bring you.” He hesitates as she makes a confused cheep, frees her hands and reaches up once more. “No.” He places his hands over hers again and gently pushes them down. “Stay here. I will be back for you. I'm not going to abandon you. You just stay here with the little one for a bit, and I 'will' be back.”

The confusion now turns into anxiousness and the tiny Hutt yanks her hands free and moves closer, reaching up with a touch of desperation and her cheeps grow more high pitched and scared.

“I will be back.” The Hutt repeats, his voice sounding a bit odd. “Be brave. The little one will protect you.” He runs his hand gently over her head, but when she keeps reaching her arms up, keeps making those pleading sounds, the massive Hutt abruptly turns around and slithers away.  
Mi'lah knows Hutts can't cry so why were his eerie eyes so watery...?

For a second, the little Hutt just stares, shocked, then her arms sink down and she visibly trembles.

Master Corin sighs and gently ushers his child to her, before straightening back up and looking over at Mi'lah. “Listen, if... If she gets really upset, wrap a blanket around her. Just... It helps. A little.” And then he hurries after the large Hutt and leaves Mi'lah alone to tend to the adorable child and... a mini-Hutt.

A mini-Hutt that snaps out of her apathy and starts letting out odd cheeps. Louder and louder. And, again, it takes a moment before Mi'lah understands; they are calling sounds. She's calling for her parent. Oh, that won't do. The big Hutt won't be happy if he thinks Mi'lah isn't looking after this one.  
Walking towards them, trying to think of some activity to distract them but having no clue what Hutts find entertaining aside from being cruel, Mi'lah is not prepared for what happens next.

The small Hutt turns at the sound of her footsteps, sees her approaching, and... panics.  
Screaming like she's in horrible pain, the tiny Hutt cowers and starts looking around like a cornered animal. The little child tries to reach out and calm her, but the screams merely continue and the Hutt makes a terrified scramble over to where she can hide under a chair.

Startled, Mi'lah sees the child following and crawling under there as well, and soon the screams turn into plaintive and trembling calling sounds. 

Crouching down, Mi'lah sees, from a distance, the child sitting next to and petting the small Hutt, who is now curled up under the chair, as far away from Mi'lah as possible, trembling and terrified, tears trailing down her face.

Mi'lah's heart breaks. “Oh, sweet girl...” She feels her own eyes well up with tears, recognizing what it feels like to be that scared. “I'm so sorry someone hurt you. It's going to be okay. We're going to keep you safe until your dad comes back.”

-

Hako is the last to leave the house, instructing his second in command on what to do while he's gone, before joining them, Din, Corin, Zev'sonya, Mose and Leave-it, in the transport vehicle waiting to bring them to their destination.

Arriving at the eerily clean hangar, they enter to find it empty except for their two ships. Corin has a moment of thinking that bad luck has struck, that Laszo has tricked them or backed out, but then there is a loud and approving whistle and his gaze snaps up to find the young man sitting smugly on top of the Razor Crest.

Din draws his blaster and aims at him.

Laszo slides down the side of the ship and lands with the agility of a loth cat before sauntering towards them. He circles Corin and Zev'sonya with a big grin on his face.  
“Nice.” Laszo declares once he comes to a halt in front of them. “Very nice. I can sell these two.”

Din's blaster aims directly at Laszo's face. “And I can shoot you.”

Arms defiantly crossed, Zev'sonya shrugs one shoulder. “And no one would ever find your body.”  
Leave-it crosses his arms as well to show his solidarity. Mose ignores them all.

The smile on Laszo's face wavers a little. “Nownow, calm down. We're all on the same side here.”

“I sure hope so.” Corin sighs, then gestures towards the ships. “Which one do we take?”

Laszo turns to look at the Razor Crest. “I like this one.”

Din takes a step forward and places the muzzle of his blaster to the back of the man's head. “Don't like it too much and get any ideas.”

Cringing away from the contact, hands lifted to show his innocence, Laszo nods. “Understood, Mando. Understood, okay?”

“Let's go.” Zev'sonya says and sets course for the Razor Crest. They follow.

After take off, the journey up to Lubba's ship hovering over the planet takes little to no time. Corin has no idea what kind of luck that is. There is just enough time for them to go over the plan again.  
Laszo will show them the way and make introductions. Mose will enter with Corin and Zev'sonya as his goods and Hako as his bodyguard. Din and Leave-it are going to stay on the ship and wait for an opportune moment to sneak out and be back-up when needed.  
Corin knows they are going to need the support. He hates the fact that he will be going in without a weapon, but he trusts Din will find some way to have his back. Good luck is on their side today. He can feel it.

The Razor Crest lands inside the belly of the slave ship and as the ramp lowers, Din reaches out and touches Corin's arm to get his attention.  
“You be careful. Don't take any chances. I'll be there as soon as I can. Understand?”

Corin nods. It's not the most dangerous mission he's been sent on, but it is the first one with so little clothes on, no weapon, no armor and no HUD to help him. “You be careful too.”

Din moves his hand up behind Corin's neck and pulls him forward so he can lean in for a kov'nyn and holds him there until there is the sound of the ramp actually touching ground.

Corin takes a sharp breath of air when Din abruptly releases him and steps away to melt into the shadows inside the Razor Crest. He stares longingly at the darkness, until Din's hand comes out to grab a hold of Leave-it and yanks him out of sight as well. Smiling a little, Corin turns and follows Mose and Zev'sonya walking down the ramp after Laszo. Hako then follows him.

The slave ship's hangar is dark and creepy, reminding Corin of Dr. Evazan's station, but the cool air here feels good against his skin. His fingers are twitching restlessly as they walk, wishing there was a blaster within reach, but his pants barely allows for underwear so hiding a weapon is impossible.  
There are android guards lined up along the metal walls, long rows on both sides of the entrance doors, and their emotionless eyes observe every movement with an alertness that never tires.

Oh, Din is not going to like this. Why did it have to be that many droids? This is bad luck.  
Corin locks his focus on two sounds; the muffled music in the distance and the stab of Zev'sonya's heels against the metal floor. Don't think, do your part and get the job done. Din can handle himself.

The entrance doors slide open as Laszo approaches and he bows down and gestures for them to enter a brightly lit hallway. “This way!” There is a dangerous amount of glee in his dark eyes.  
Corin glances over at Zev'sonya, who looks back at him with equal amount of unease, and they both look up at Mose, who merely sighs and follows Kinnon's brother and enters the hallway.

The music grows louder as the four of them make their way deeper into the ship. Gone is the dark gloom from the hangar, here the walls are painted bright yellow and lined with countless lamps.  
A couple of Twi'leks holding massive plates with some kind of food emerge from a side-door only to scuttle out of the way and lower their heads submissively as they pass them. They look scared and thin and the massive leather collars around their necks must be uncomfortable. Corin frowns.  
It definitely seems like they are in the right place.

-

The final door opens, slides aside without a sound, unleashing music previously muffled and thick, perfumed smoke that can't quite hide some foul stench. Corin waits for Mose to enter before he follows.

Stepping inside, Corin finds himself in very unfamiliar territory. There is a small band playing on a small stage to the right, as if they were in a bar instead of a ship, and also a worrying amount of armed guards in horribly gaudy clothes, who leers at the five or so slaves with leather collars around their necks carrying drinks and food around the room. There are plenty of shadowy presences in the corners as well, smoking strange pipes while light reflects off their eyes.   
And in the middle of the room, on top of a massive plate with holes to insert poles to carry it, is the huge and unmistakable shape of a gray and white Hutt.

Corin blinks. And sends Mose a discrete look.  
He's gotten so used to Mose being this large and imposing figure compared to his other companions, but now? Suddenly Mose seems small. Kind of like a gawky teenager.  
And all that weight he'd gained since Dominic poisoned him? Compared to what must be Lubba, he still seems awfully thin. Mose is far more muscular than Lubba, but the sheer size of the gray Hutt is imposing. Because Lubba, well, that Hutt is a mountain of fat and malice on top of his make-shift throne, an undisputed ruler of the room. His large eyes are semi-closed, drool drips down the jowls because his mouth isn't entirely shut and three chubby fingers are resting on a plate of food next to him.

“Wait here.” Laszo whispers and walks over to the other Hutt.

Corin is so stunned by this place, by the unsettling atmosphere, by being unable to determine what that horrid stench is underneath the smoke, that he fails to see bad luck approaching before it is too late.  
“Come on, gorgeous.” A voice to his right says, barely audible through the music. “Smile.”

Corin turns his head and sees a scruffy looking human man pulling a tense Zev'sonya close.  
Mose clenches his hands into fists, but he keeps his gaze on Lubba.  
“The Master always allows me to test the new wares.” The man drawls, his hands groping at her back to make her stiff spine curve and bring her front closer to him. “Now, smile.” He tries to lean in and kiss her neck but can't quite reach as she refuses to bend.

Slightly distracted by a presence approaching him from the shadows on his left, good luck makes it so Corin still manages to send a quick glance over at Zev'sonya again. If not for that second glance, he wouldn't have seen the anger in her eyes flare up and the ghosts of bad memories rising from their grave. He wouldn't have seen the tremor going through her. He wouldn't have recognized someone fighting hard to bury those ghosts again and about to crumble under the stress.

Corin steps forward, narrowly avoiding hands reaching for him, and reaches out himself to take a hold of Zev'sonya. He pulls her out of the man's embrace and into his own, meeting the glare of the insolent man with a stubborn stare of his own. “Your Master has yet to pay a single credit. Hands off my Master's property.”

“Or you will pay the price.” Hako threatens, stepping up as well.

It is enough to make the stranger back off with a baring of yellowed teeth, but it isn't enough to make Zev'sonya stop trembling. She feels tense as iron, looks furious and strangely vulnerable.  
“Breathe.” Corin whispers, keeping her close and his hand on her back to ground her. “You're okay. Just a little longer and then you can hurt them all.”

That brings a faint laugh from her and her muscles eases a little as she relaxes. “Promise?”

“Promise.” Corin replies. And that is when they are summoned to face Lubba.

“Master Lubba, I present to you; Mose the Hutt.” Laszo declares, gesturing towards Mose as he approaches, followed by his two slaves and his bodyguard.

Lubba lifts a hand in a gesture for silence and the music stops. His eyes open a little wider, a touch of interest in them, and he pulls himself up to appear taller. Everyone in the room watches them.  
As he comes closer, Corin notices how the stench grows stronger and it doesn't take a genius to conclude that the smell is coming from Lubba. Standing in front of the Hutt certainly removes any doubt whatsoever. The foul odor comes from half-eaten food scattered around and on him, the slobber all over his stomach and several cracked wounds in his hide that doesn't seem to be healing.  
Mose smells like forest moss and dried wood, but this Hutt smells like swamp gas and decay.

“Mose...” Lubba drawls, his voice as deep as a Sarlacc pit. “Your name is familiar. But I haven't done business with you before.”

“No, I don't frequent this parsec much.” Mose replies in a neutral tone. “The New Republic are set on making life difficult for us Hutts in these parts.”

Lubba grumbles his agreement, then turns his attention to Zev'sonya and Corin. “Your wares. No collars?”

“They are well trained.” Mose keeps his gaze on Lubba. “I don't like my slaves marked. Those collars leaves marks, rubs their delicate skin. I like to look at beauty, not sniveling broken things.”

Lubba's huge body shifts a little and his tail lifts and reaches out.  
Corin clenches his jaw when the thick appendage slides up his leg and, to his surprise, has to keep himself from recoiling from the touch as it runs up his torso. Usually he barely reacts to physical contact from strangers, but now he quietly shudders with disgust under the caress to his face by the tail, while Lubba reaches out a hand and a guard shoves Zev'sonya into his grasp.

“They are certainly quality stock. And unmarked, as you say.” Lubba confirms with creepy glee, holding Zev'sonya still by a firm grip on her jaw, studying her face. “What do you want for them?”

Mose pretends to consider this and Corin really wishes he would hurry up because Lubba is sliding Corin's shirt-robe-thing off his left shoulder and several of the guards are looking at him like food.  
“Your competition offered a really ripe price, but I thought I owed it to a fellow Hutt to give you the chance to come with a higher bid.” Mose finally says.

Lubba jiggles with a wet laugh. “Nice try. But I am the only buyer and seller in these parts. It wasn't easy to get me a blind spot from the New Republic.” His eyes narrow. “And don't get any ideas. Credits won't buy the deal I got with them.”

Blackmail then, Corin deducts. At least that means the New Republic traitor will be glad to be rid of Lubba as well and hopefully not inclined to let someone take his place. 

Zev'sonya looks over at Mose, her head still stuck in Lubba's grip. “Okay. We got what we need.”

Mose sighs. “Yes, Lorda.”

Lubba blinks, confused, then shrieks with pain and recoils from Zev'sonya and the vibroblade she just slashed his hand with. A blade that had been hidden in the split fabric by her ribs.  
Corin glances over at the shocked guard next to him, rams his elbow into the guy's face and grabs his blaster.

After that, everything erupts into chaos.

-

Corin manages to fire the blaster twice and take down two guards running towards them before bad lucks strikes; the thrashing Hutt tail sweeps his legs from under him and he lands on his back hard. Corin sees the tail go up and start to come back down again with every intent of squashing his mid-section and killing him. It's instinctive and futile, but Corin crosses his arms in a defensive move against what will shatter his bones like thin pillars of ice.  
He does not expect Mose to grab a hold of his upper arm and simply yank him out of the way half a second before Lubba's tail hits the floor hard enough to dent it.

Mose lets go, but the force and momentum of the move sends Corin rolling across the floor and he doesn't stop until he hits a wall.  
Dazed, disoriented, Corin coughs and shakes his head, tries to get his bearings back.

He sees through a haze, Zev'sonya kicking her shoes off before she ties up her dress, spins a blade in each of her hands now and sprints up the back of the furiously thrashing and roaring Lubba that is screaming for the guards to kill them all. He sees Hako wielding a blaster and shooting a guard aiming their weapon to take down Zev'sonya. He sees Mose grabbing a hold of Lubba and the two Hutts collide like two Star Destoyers. Slaves and band players are fleeing for their lives.  
And Corin sees the contour of a falleen coming at him with a blade.

There is just enough time to twitch and feel fear, and then the falleen disappears in a shower of sparks and empty clothing fluttering in a body's absence.

What just happened? Then he realizes as his mind kicks into gear again and Corin instantly scouts around for Din and his deadly rifle. There is a wave of relief when he sees him standing not too far away. His personal good luck charm has arrived.

The Mandalorian fires again, takes out some figure slithering along on the eastern wall by turning them into sparks and nothing as well, before he runs over to kneel down next to the coughing Corin. “You okay?”

Corin nods, absently patting the floor in search of the blaster he'd stolen. Good luck places it within reach. “I'm fine.” He gets up on his knees while Din fires at someone, sheds the annoying shirt-robe-thing that is just getting in his way, and checks the blaster to make sure it works.

“This way.” Din says, grabbing his arm and dragging him over to where a table is on its side and takes cover behind it, safe from the heavy blaster fire shooting through the air in every direction. “Stay down.” He lets go, turns and straightens enough to fire his own blaster over the table.

Grunting annoyed, Corin sits hunched down, his back against the table, and hears the shouting and shooting going on. The loudness of two Hutts fighting. Corin can't just hide. He's a soldier. But the second he turns around and moves to pop up to fire his blaster, Din shoves him back down again.  
“I said, stay down.”

“I can help.” Corin objects.

“You have no armor, no protection, it's too dangerous.” Din snaps. “Stay down!”

Corin merely sinks down to obey. He's been trained to obey for so long he can't stop himself. But instead of the usual apathy, Corin feels restless and annoyed.

Suddenly there is a sharp whistle and Corin looks over to his left. It's Leave-it, crouched down behind a table as well, about half a Hutt length away. The blond nods towards the fighting, does five sharp gestures with a hand and lifts his eyebrows in a quizzical move. Corin shakes his head, gestures four back at him, and Leave-it grins and nods.

“What are you doing?” Din asks, crouching down to pluck two more bullets to load his rifle.

“Trust me.” Corin says, then he rolls to the side, gets up on his feet and runs towards the mayhem while Leave-it stands up to give him cover fire. Din shouts his name.

Three weequays turns to attack as Corin runs, Leave-it takes down one, making the other two dive for cover, and Corin is free to run straight by them and over to where two humans are forcing Mose to back up from their Master with the use of flame throwers.  
Corin fires his blaster and the man closest to him falls, but the other turns, bringing his flames with him, and there is no time to shoot. Corin just runs straight into him and tackles him to the ground.

As they roll around on the floor, Corin sees Lubba, bleeding from several cuts, fling Zev'sonya aside like a doll and how Hako jumps up and somehow manages to catch her. He sees how Lubba launches himself forward, rolls and twists and hits Mose's stomach with the full might of his tail.  
If not for the horror of it all, it would almost be amazing to see Mose, not a light-weight by any means, get swatted aside so hard he is physically lifted from the floor, flies through the air and slams into the wall.  
And Corin sees Laszo sitting on a perch way up under the ceiling, eating something and watching them all fight for their lives with a slight smile. Coward.

Corin deals with his unfortunate wrestling partner with a lucky shot, gets to his feet again. A shadow rushing towards him on his left turns into sparks and nothing. Thank you, Din. A nikto on his right falls after a blaster shot hits him. Thank you, Leave-it.  
“Corin, get back here!” Din sounds either furious or scared, or both.

Corin runs towards Lubba, fires his blaster several times at the massive body making its way towards the clearly dazed Mose and he feels a sense of hope when the gray Hutt turns back towards Corin with a furious bellow.  
Corin's blaster can't penetrate deep enough to kill the Hutt, but it does cut through the skin and cause pain. As he hoped it would. It was meant to get him Lubba's attention.  
Coming to a halt in front of the infuriated Lubba, Corin breathes hard and stares up at him while hoping the plan won't fail. 

- _Please, good luck, don't fail me now..._

Two things happen almost simultaneously; Din slams into Corin, pulling him to the ground and out of the way of Lubba's tail slamming down where he'd been standing, and Leave-it smirking a little as he aims for Lubba's left eye and pulls the trigger.

Lying on his back, Din half on top of him, holding him down and shielding him with his Beskar armor, Corin watches as the Hutt twitches once and then topples backwards. And stays down.

“Which part,” Din says in a weary, plaintive tone, “of 'be careful' and 'don't take any chances' did you fail to understand?”

Corin grins and wraps his arms around him.  
They did it. It's over.

-

“You can do it.” Mi'lah says in a gentle voice, hoping not to scare the tiny Hutt peeking out from under the chair. “It's not dangerous. Tell her, sweetie.”

Master Corin and Master Din's adorable child is sitting right next to the Hutt and chirps his agreement, but the small Hutt doesn't seem entirely convinced. She still lets out a calling sound every once in a while, but they are quiet and resigned cheeps now and it has taken Mi'lah hours to make her even peek out from under the chair. The cost has been no less than three sugar mini-cakes and now the fourth is just outside of the Hutt's reach, meaning she has to come out if she wants it.

Holding her breath, Mi'lah watches the Hutt stretch and stretch and make a thin keen of frustration when her arm just isn't long enough. A glance over at the adorable child and getting an encouraging chirp in return seems to give her the bravery needed and she inches out a little.

Tilting her head, smiling, Mi'lah decides this baby-Hutt isn't all that ugly after all, now that she really looks at her and sees the beautiful eyes and the cute coloring of her face. And Mi'lah has to bite her lower lip to keep the excited squeak silent when the small Hutt inches her upper body out from under the chair to reach the cake and actually stays out while chewing it. Success!

She gets to savor her triumph for four seconds before a loud explosion rips the peace apart and Mi'lah jumps to her feet, listening intently, and soon hears shouting and the sound of blaster fire.  
Oh no. That's not good.

The small Hutt and the adorable child both disappear under the chair and Mi'lah drops to her knees in front of it to make eye-contact with them to underline the importance of what she's about to say. “Stay quiet, okay? Not a sound.” She gets back up on her feet just as the kitchen door slides open and soldier after soldier pour in.

“Where is he?” A voice exclaims and Judge Hadar Halcyon steps into the room after his twelve soldiers have taken up position in a semi-circle inside. “Where is that mutt?”

Swallowing hard, trembling, Mi'lah tries to keep calm. Halcyon has invaded the Valentis house with his army? Has he lost his mind? “Judge Halcyon, what are you-”

“Your so-called master! That Valentis-Motti mutt!” The old man yells, his face red with anger. “Where is he?”

“He... He's not here...” Mi'lah replies, wanting to flee but not willing to step away from the chair and risk revealing the children. “Why are you here, Judge?”

“That newcomer, that _upstart_ , lands on my planet, comes into my house, brings his filthy pet, and beats up my son. My son!” Hadar has to draw a deep breath to calm himself. “If he thinks the Motti fortune and name will protect him from the consequences of that, he's VERY mistaken.”

Mi'lah can feel herself grow pale. Master Corin had beat up Centinnion? Why would he... He couldn't know what happened back then. What he'd done to Mi'lah? Could he?

Hadar suddenly reaches out, grabs her wrist and yanks her close, ignoring her startled yelp. “Where. Is. He?”

Mi'lah's brain searches desperately for an answer to give that will please the man and not endanger her Master, then there is the sound of a chirp. Oh no. That is definitely not good.

“What is that?” Hadar tosses Mi'lah aside and into the arms of a random soldier, placing his entire focus on the little shape standing in front of a chair. 

“Don't hurt him.” Mi'lah pleads, trying in vain to break free from the soldier.

Soldiers approach from both sides and one of them throws the chair away, revealing the hidden and terrified Hutt protectively rolled up.

“And what is _that_?” Hadar asks, now with a frown. “Is that...?”

One of the soldiers prods the trembling lump, starting and jumping back to aim their weapon at it when it gets a shriek as a response.  
“Stop!” Mi'lah shouts. “You're scaring her!”

Snorting a laugh, Hader looks around at his soldiers with a big grin on his face. “Have you guys any idea what Hutt High costs these days? That Lubba refuses to supply a single drop. And here, right under my nose, that Valentis-Motti mutt has a replenishing source?” He laughs out loud, making Mi'lah and the little Hutt both flinch. “Excellent!” Hadar steps forward and now hovers over the adorable child, his shadow engulfing it completely. “And I was in the mood for a new pet too.”

The smile on Hadar's face then flicker and fade as yellow eyes glare up at him...

-

Paz is trying to focus on his breathing and not on the pain. He's sitting on the floor of a small hut, his back against the wall and helmet tilted forward. His injured arm feels like it is infected by now, he suspects two of his ribs may be fractured and he 'knows' his left ankle is broken, partially due to the throbbing pain and partially because he heard it snap when he landed.

Lack of both sleep and food combined with his frantic escape efforts has left him weak.  
The sound of footsteps makes him lift his head, but Paz can't conjure up the strength to try to fight against the cuffs keeping his hands behind his back. He sees two Mandalorians approaching him.  
The sight of their blue armor feels like an insult in addition to the injuries.

“You put up a good fight.” The smaller one says while the other just hovers in the background. “You move fast for a big guy. But play time is over.”

Paz leans his helmet back against the wall and grunts. He will give them nothing.

“You have something that isn't yours.” The smaller one continues, taking a step forward to tower over him. “It belongs to us. And we want it back.”

Paz doesn't reply. He thinks about home. He hopes Raga is safe. It hurts to know he couldn't give her what they both wanted, but for a little while his impossible dream had come true and he can die a happy man. She will look after Liita. While Din better look after Raga or Paz will haunt him. Him and Corin both. And Barthor, well, Paz might haunt him just for fun.

“Hey!” The smaller one snaps and just yanks her helmet off. “I'm talking to you!”

Paz starts, horrified at the sight, stunned for several seconds, then he gives a slight shake of his head with pure contempt dripping off his words. “You're no real Mandalorian.”

The dark haired woman frowns confused before she blinks with realization. “Oh.” She laughs a little. “You're one of them.” She looks back at the other fake Mandalorian, who then removes his helmet as well and shares a meaningful look with her. “He's one of the Children.”  
The man gives a solemn nod.  
Turning her attention back to Paz, now with a sharp kind of glee in her eyes that he doesn't like, the woman sneers. “Where is the Dark Saber? We know you have it. Where is it?”

How could they know? No one but Raga knows. But why else would they chase him like this? He knows Raga hasn't told anyone, not a chance, so there must have been someone who saw what had happened back there on that Imp ship. But who?  
Paz shrugs as much as he can with the painful arm and his hands restrained behind his back. “I don't know what you're talking about.”

Baring her teeth in primal anger, the woman swings her arm forward and her fingers dig under the edge of Paz' helmet and grabs a hold. A disturbing echo of what he and Din has done to each other many times and yet never gone through with. This one? She will not hesitate to pull off his helmet.  
A lightning strike of fear cuts into Paz and he automatically leans up to prevent her from pulling the helmet off. He's willing to give up his life to keep his Tribe safe, that is acceptable, but the thought of losing his Mandalorian soul terrifies him. “No!”

“Koska.” A voice speaks with authority and a third Mandalorian steps through the door and joins them. “Enough. We won't stoop to that.”

Snarling with barely restrained fury, the woman lets go of his helmet and takes a step away.

Paz doesn't dare to relax but he turns his t-visor towards the newcomer, as this is clearly the one in charge, of the two other pretend-Mandalorians and his fate. He watches in nervous silence as the leader crouches down in front of him.

“I know you have the Dark Saber, Paz Vizla.” The leader reaches up and removes her own helmet to reveal ruthless eyes and red hair. “And I know the damage it can do in the hands of a Vizla.” She leans in a little closer. “You _will_ tell me where it is.”

“No.”

-

Once Lubba is dead, the fighting spirit departs most of his guards, leaving only a handful fanatics and the eternally loyal droids. The ones who are done with the fighting either make a run for it towards the hangar to escape in a pod or simply drop their weapons while putting their hands up. Corin and Leave-it gather them in a corner and keep their blasters aimed at them while Din and Hako deal with the rest.  
Zev'sonya lingers by Mose's side, who is still a little out of it after his impact with the wall and yet keeps claiming he's fine. The hand to his stomach reveals he is definitely in a bit of pain.

After the last blaster shot is fired and all living that remains of Lubba's rule in that room are captives and former slaves hiding wherever they can, that is when Laszo drops down from his perch and looks around with a big grin. “You did it. You guys actually did it. I didn't think you could do it, but you did it.”

Din loads his rifle and his t-visor turns towards Laszo. “No thanks to you.”

“Hey...” Laszo places a hand to his heart and winks at Din. “I'm a lover, not a fighter.”

Exhausted, knowing they owe their victory to good luck, Corin is tempted to just let Din shoot him. “Just shut up, man.” He scans the nervous and tense souls of many different species that he and Leave-it are currently guarding, with a faint taste of being back to old Trooper chores. “What do we do with these ones?”

“I'll handle them.” Laszo declares.

Corin glares at him.

“I'm serious.” Laszo lets out a nervous laugh, lifting his palms to show his honesty. “I can make this work.”

“We didn't get rid of one rotten opportunist only to replace him with another.” Zev'sonya points out in a dry and non-amused tone.

Laszo makes a mock gasp. “I'm hurt. You are wounding me, sweet lips. I would never do business like a Hutt.” He waves a hand at Mose. “No offense.”  
Mose does not look pacified.  
“Let me talk to them.” Laszo insists.

Corin looks over at Din, who shrugs, then over at Leave-it who looks over at Zev'sonya, who rolls her eyes and shrugs. 

“Fine.” Corin steps back but keeps his blaster aimed at the group of souls gathered in the corner and not looking happy about it. “Talk away.”

To his surprise and relief, Corin watches and listens as Laszo manages to persuade Lubba's crew to agree to work for him instead with big promises of all the credits they are going to earn together.

“Hey, can I ask you a question?” Leave-it whispers, leaning close to Corin.  
“Sure.”  
“Did we just take down a Hutt gang for this guy to swoop in and secure himself a crew and a ship?”

Corin blinks. “Uh...” That is exactly what it seems like with the captives breaking out in loud cheers at the end of Laszo's speech and Laszo himself grinning and spreading his arms with grand benevolence.

Din grabs a hold of Laszo's upper arm, makes him look over at him, and states in a non-negotiable voice; “No slaves.”

Laszo's smile turns bitter. “Mando, I can guarantee you...” He tilts his head and reveals the still visible mark on his neck from a collar he'd been forced to wear for years. “No slaves.”

Staring at him for a couple of seconds, Din then nods and lets him go.

“What about the ones already here...” Zev'sonya looks over at where she can see someone hiding behind a torn curtain. None of the slaves there look ready to trust them any time soon.

“They can either join my crew or I will drop them off some place where they can find work.” Laszo replies, before winking at Corin. “No offense, but bringing them to Seswenna would be a mistake.”

Corin shakes his head. “No, I understand.” He looks over at the exit door. “That only leaves the security droids in the hangar bay to deal with...”

Leave-it clears his throat. “Yeah, no, they, uh, they're not a problem.” He leans close to Corin again, semi-whispering: “Din went all Darth Vader on them. That man 'really' doesn't like droids, huh?”

“Let's just secure the rest of this ship so we can leave.” Din declares in a loud voice, clearly unwilling to talk about what had happened in the hangar.

“Roger that.” Corin replies, knowing only too well how some things are just too painful to talk about. He has no trouble respecting that.

It doesn't take long to sweep the ship and secure it, there's really not much fight left in the leaderless crew stuck there after all the escape pods had been launched. And while the slaves are informed they are now free, judging by the wary stares they give Corin and the others, it is probably going to take time for them to believe it and understand what that means. Corin's heart aches for them but he hopes they will now at least have a chance at a good life. Seswenna's slave supply is cut off, now they just have to find some way to help the ones already on the planet.   
And to do that, they have to go back to the place where a beautiful face of Seswenna hides a rotten core.

When they return to the Razor Crest, Corin is actually grateful for Din placing his cloak over Corin's shoulders. He's so tired he even feels a little cold. And he sees Zev'sonya, on bare feet, her dress all wrinkled and torn, her headpiece long gone, bruised and with a cut on her shoulder, she looks as tired as he feels. Looking from one to the other, Corin realizes they all look tired.

Saying their goodbyes to Laszo, surrounded by his new crew all eagerly trying to become his new best friend, Corin realizes he won't exactly miss Kinnon's brother. He suspects Laszo doesn't have to rely on good luck because he creates his own, but Corin prefers allies who are willing to fight shoulder by shoulder with him, thank you very much. (But he does like the sound of Laszo hinting at how Lubba has the names of other slavers in his records and maybe he should see if he could make his crew even bigger by visiting them.)

The journey back to Seswenna seems to take barely a minute and Corin has just nodded off when Din gently shakes him awake to tell him they've landed.  
It's in the middle of the night, but the transport is still waiting for them and the android driver activates as they climb on board. 

Corin is half-asleep again by the time the vehicle leaves the hangar and he is more asleep than not when they approach the Valentis house. However, Din's muttered; “What the...?” has him opening his eyes and the sight that meets him jolts Corin fully awake and fills him with absolute dread.

Bad luck has been there.

The once sturdy and secure gates have been blown open. The left gate is lying on the ground, the right one is a twisted and crooked mess. The pillars show signs of an explosion.

Entering the garden, Corin stares out the window of the transport wagon and sees a couple of Motti guards are carrying some unfamiliar soldiers down the stairs from the main entrance. Corin jumps out of the still moving vehicle to run inside. Din is right on his heels.

There are more signs of intrusion inside the house, but Corin doesn't care about material damage. All he cares about is-

Corin and Din both come to an abrupt halt as Mi'lah appears in the hallway, their happily chirping child on her left arm and a tightly wrapped up blanket-bundle with a green tail that squirms restlessly on her right arm.

“Master Corin. Master Din. Welcome back.” She greets them with a smile, as if there aren't two unconscious and unfamiliar soldiers lying on the floor between them.

Intensely relieved to see the children and her unharmed, yet stunned by the mayhem surrounding them, Corin searches for the right words and luckily Din is there to find and speak them for him.

“What happened?”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened at the house while they were gone?  
> What are the consequences?  
> Leave-it faces heartbreak, Kiergan struggles with his blood-pressure and Din learns that Paz is missing...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://imgbb.com/)  
> 
> 
> _Whoaaaaa, look at how incredibly GORGEOUS this is! Feel Zev's fury! The art deity cac0daemonia has given us a GORGEOUS look at Zev fearlessly attacking a Hutt with no shoes, a fancy dress and two blades as her weapons! I could scream for hours about the perfection of the aggression on Zev's face, the amount of anger she feels towards this creature can be read so beautifully in this masterpiece. And her flowing lekkus, the effect of the light behind them, the folds of her dress, the pose is almost beyond perfection and to contradict how graceful and powerful she looks; there is the grossness of Lubba! *flails* See those diseased eyes, the VEIN on his slobbery tongue and the cracked, uneven hide...! Let us also touch upon the amazing smokey-air effect, the lights shining through the haze, and the glowing effect of the blaster shots! GORGEOUS, I tell you! GORGEOUS!_  
> 
> 
> -

Not waiting for an answer, rushing over and placing a hand on the child's back, Corin asks the most important question of them all. “Is he okay?” And then his brain points out the presence of the squirming blanket on her other arm and Corin automatically places his other hand on Junior's covered back. “Is she okay?”

Mi'lah hoists the two a little and huffs a faint laugh. “Oh, he's just dandy.” She glances over at the blanket. “She's still a little shook up.” A quick scan towards the entrance door follows. “Where is... Is he okay?”

Corin nods, relieved to hear the kids are unharmed. “Yeah, he's okay too. They're going in through the kitchen.”

“What. Happened?” Din repeats, a little impatient, after a faint groan from one of the unconscious soldiers makes him place a hand on his blaster.

~

_“Have you guys any idea what Hutt High costs these days? That Lubba refuses to supply a single drop. And here, right under my nose, that Valentis-Motti mutt has a replenishing source?” The intruder laughs out loud, making fear spike within Mi'lah and Junior. “Excellent!” The intruder steps forward and now hovers over him. “And I was in the mood for a new pet too.”  
The child's eyes narrows as anger rises within him. This intruder is a threat to his friends.  
The intruder looks down at him, blinks with surprise, then there is a loud 'boink' sound, and the intruder crumbles to the ground. Behind the lump that is the intruder is a human woman. She's holding something in her hand, the child has seen food been prepared on that, and she's scared too.  
The intruder-soldiers all turn to glare at the woman and malice starts to rise within them.  
The child reaches out his hand, focuses hard, and his powers grab four of the soldiers and slam them against each other.  
Soldiers had invaded his home once and killed his friends. That is NOT happening today._

~

“We, uh, had visitors. Things got interesting, but everything is okay now.” Mi'lah says, handing the child over to Corin and hoists Junior a little again, patting her back when there is a faint whine from the Huttlet. “Let's head to the kitchen. There's a present for you there.”

Hugging his happily chirping little bean close, nuzzling the fuzzy head and reassuring himself that he is really okay, Corin glances over at Din, who gives a brief, annoyed nod.

They follow Mi'lah to the kitchen, leaving the two unfamiliar soldier to the Motti guards.  
Corin murmurs soft apologies to the child as he walks, feeling incredibly guilty for leaving him here where danger had come busting in while he was gone, but then he comes to an abrupt halt in the doorway to the kitchen and stares with disbelief.

Sitting on the floor in front of the big kitchen table, legs stretched out in front of him, hands and feet tied together, gagged and glaring, is Judge Hadar Halcyon. And next to him, sitting on a chair, holding a frying pan and a blaster, is Andra. She sends Corin a dry look. “You do seem intent on making life in this house a little too interesting, Master Corin. Did you forget your shirt?”

Corin shakes his head. “He broke into the house? With soldiers?”

Din draws his blaster, his fingers clenching and unclenching around the hilt, his index finger reaching for and withdrawing from the trigger again and again.

“Apparently he doesn't take kindly to people who lays a hand on his son.” Andra's reply is as dry as her look. “No matter how much the cretin deserves it.”

A wave of crushing guilt comes crashing down on him and for a moment, Corin can't breathe. He'd known there would be payback for what he did, but he figured it maybe meant no more invites to parties or something stupid like that. He never once imagined Centinnion's father would blow up the gates to his house and invade with an army to avenge a broken nose! What is wrong with the people on this planet?

That is the moment when the loading door opens and Zev'sony and Leave-it enter the kitchen as well and they too stop to stare at the man held captive there.

“Oh.” Mi'lah states as she sees the looming figure of Mose making his way in behind the others. “Look.” She kneels down, places Junior on the floor and starts undoing the blanket. “Your dad is back.”

Corin feels the guilt even harder when he sees Junior, her colors paler than usual and her eyes are puffy from crying so much she has no tears left. She makes a miserable cheep and starts to curl up when Mose makes a low, rumbling sound. The second the Huttlet hears that, she jolts up and looks around, and seeing Mose makes her cry out and rush towards him.  
Lowering himself, Mose reaches out a hand and helps her up as Junior dives and burrows for safety. His face scrunches slightly with pain and Corin realizes Lubba's hit had struck that exact area.

“You're hurt?” Mi'lah asks. 

To Corin's surprise, she doesn't cower under the glare Mose gives her.  
“He took a pretty bad hit to the gut.” Corin replies when the Hutt just continues to quietly glare.

Mi'lah nods. “I'll get some bacta.”

“Why?” Mose growls, instantly suspicious.

Mi'lah gestures faintly, as if it should be obvious. “Because you're hurt. Sir.”  
She leaves the room and Mose now looks as unsettled as when Corin tried to make friends with him. He then glares over at Zev'sonya at the sound of her fighting back a laugh next to him.

“What about this one?” Leave-it climbs up to sit on the table and prods the Halcyon's head with a finger. He's heartily amused by the glare the man sends him.

“I say we shoot him.” Din grits out.

“Roger that.” Leave-it grins, drawing his blaster and aiming at Halcyon, who starts squirming and shouting muffled objections.

Corin sighs. “Remove the gag.”

-

Leave-it reaches out with his free hand, pulls the gag down and prods the man's head with his blaster. “Okay. Talk.”

Halcyon goes from nervous to furious and sets his glare on Corin. “How dare your servants touch me? They're all dead!” He tugs at his restraints. “And you! You let me go this instant!”

The words makes something dark stir within Corin; the urge to punish this man as cruelly and harshly as possible. He'd threatened the little one and Junior, now his new friends, Corin should...

“Master Corin.” Hako steps into the kitchen, followed by the one Corin vaguely recognizes as his second in command, who looks pale and terrified. “This is my fault. I had responsibility for the security. The gates were too weak. There were too few souls posted outside the building. And I am told some of our guards hid rather than take up the fight, but they were new recruits, they got scared, they aren't traitors.” He stops in front of Corin, head bowed, and offers him his blaster. “Please, I offer my life for the safety of theirs. This is my failure, don't punish them.”

Startled out of his anger, Corin takes a step away from him, suddenly very firmly reminded of why the dark path never felt right to him. “Stop it. Put that blaster away. I'm not going to... That's not...”

Andra gets up from her chair with a sigh. “Master Corin. A word in the hallway?”

Corin looks over at Din, but he seems fixated on Halcyon bellowing orders and not interested in much else, so he nods and gestures for her to walk first before following her out into the hallway.

“Killing the Judge will put his son in charge. To be honest, Master Corin, I'm not sure that is the better option." Andra says. "Hadar Halcyon is stupid, but Centinnion is cruel. And if you are worried about him seeing the child's powers, don't be. I knocked him out with my pan before the child started throwing the soldiers into walls and the ceiling and each other. It was quite the sight, actually.”

Corin frowns, looks down the giggling child trying to make a 'boink' sound while waving a hand. “But what about the soldiers? They saw, they know.”

Andra shrugs. “The only way to make entirely sure the secret remains a secret is to kill them all, but luckily I don't think you're that kind of person, Master Corin. They have no loyalty to the Halcyon family beyond what they are coerced to do. Like most servants on this planet. There may be talk in the slave community, but I don't think that will be a problem. Especially not when the word of Lubba's fall spreads and they learn who is behind it. Being Force sensitive doesn't matter to them, freedom does.”

~

_While the pink lady is wrapping the wailing Junior up in a blanket and the human lady is still staring at the fallen bodies, he walks out of the kitchen, towards where he can feel more of them.  
More intruder-soldiers.  
The child grabs the intruder-soldiers as he sees them, slams them against the walls, picks up one who isn't knocked out and flings him up against the ceiling before letting fall to the floor.  
These would hurt his friends, so he hurts them instead. He makes sure they are no longer a threat.  
One tries to aim at him with a weapon and it's almost too easy for the child to clench his fist and crush the barrel without hesitation.  
He hardly has to search out the intruders because they all come running to deal with him, only to get dealt with instead. It's easy. So easy.  
They barely weigh anything. They are weak. Puny. Insignificant.  
It's almost disappointing when there is just the last one left.  
The child holds him high up in the air, watches with narrow eyes as the man kicks and wheezes as he paws at his throat.  
Stupid intruder.  
He will make sure this one never hurts anyone again...  
-Enough.  
The child is suddenly staring at the shimmering shape of Anakin Skywalker._

~

Nodding thoughtfully, Corin feels a moment of relief before he snaps his focus back to her again. “Hey. How do you know about... that? His magic. The Force, or whatever.”

Andra gives him a wry smile. “I've been around for a while, Master Corin. I know what a Jedi is.” She sends the child a look. “And I know what a Sith is.”

The little bean tilts his head and chirps curiously.

Corin's eyes narrows a bit and he hugs him tighter. “Listen, he's not a Sith. And he's not a Jedi. His power does not define what or who he is. He's just a kid. Din's kid. My kid. Understand?”

Andra nods. There's a hint of approval in her eyes.

“Something wrong?” Mi'lah asks as she comes walking towards them on her way back to the kitchen, carrying a large bowl with some soaked cloth in it.

Corin shakes his head, tries to put on a smile and steps aside to let her enter the kitchen. “It's fine. Let's go.” He exchanges a final look with Andra, before he follows Mi'lah into the kitchen again.  
Hako and his friend have taken up court in a distant corner, talking quietly amongst themselves.

Din is looming over Halcyon while Leave-it is still aiming his blaster at the Judge with a slight smile. Corin walks over to stand next to the Mandalorian and looks down on Hadar again.  
“We okay?” Din asks, lifting his free hand and letting the child grab a hold of his index finger.

“Yeah.” Corin replies, a little lost. “Got any ideas for what to do with this one?”

“Let's take all of his clothes and make him walk home butt-naked.” Leave-it declares, closing one eye while pretending to search for the perfect spot on Halcyon to fire his blaster.

“Assuming we let him live.” Din growls.

A chirp from the child makes Corin turn his attention back to the adorable one. “What do you say, kiddo?” Corin nods towards Halcyon. “Think we should let him go?”

The child blinks and makes a curious coo. Unlike Venenifer, despite what had happened, he doesn't seem worried about this one at all.

“You can't be serious?” Halcyon shrieks. “That thing doesn't understand what you're saying. Y-you can't risk my life on the basis of that.” He shakes his head frantically. “Listen, boy, I acknowledge that my decision, made out of love for my son, was a little... hasty. Maybe even a little too much. But we are both sensible humans who can-”

Anger flares. Corin hands the child to Din before he crouches down in front of Hadar, the smile long gone and cold resentment hard in his throat. “Shut up.” He stares directly into Halcyon's eyes, making no effort to hide his dislike. “If you want to live, I suggest you keep quiet and listen.”

The tone of his voice must carry the amount of rage he's barely holding back because not only does Halcyon fall quiet and stare at him, so does everyone else in the room. Corin doesn't care. He just keeps staring at Halcyon. “I could kill you. Right here and now. We both know that. I could also have your son killed, which would make Seswenna a better place. But 'my' son clearly doesn't deem you as entirely corrupted, maybe you're just stupid, and because I trust his judgment better than my own craving to see you bleed, I am going to vote to let you go.”

Din grunts and shifts his weight. Leave-it makes a disappointed sound and lowers his blaster.

“But I want you to remember something,” Corin continues, “once you're in safety and thoughts of revenge emerge; I won't give you a second chance. If you come after my family again, my friends, or the people who work for me, I will end you. The same goes for your son. And you know I can do it. I have friends who would hunt you with me, I have the credits to buy information. I have the name to give me access to almost everywhere and firepower to get me access where that doesn't. No matter what you do, run or hide, you will never be safe. Do you understand me?”

Judge Hadar Halcyon gives a slow, wide-eyed nod.

“Say it.” Corin grits out the words. “Tell me you understand.”

“I understand.” Halcyon whispers.

Corin straightens back up. His next words are for Din. “You okay with letting him go?”

Din grunts again. “Not really.” He sighs. “But you're right. The kid doesn't see him as a threat. So I'm going to have to be okay with it. I trust the Womp Rat's judgment too.”

Turning his attention over to Hako, who is watching them attentively, Corin gestures towards Halcyon. “Would you mind throwing out the trash?”

Hako smiles a little. “It would be my pleasure, Master Corin.”

Leave-it prods Halcyon's head a final time. “We're making him walk home naked, right?”

Corin frowns. “No.” He waits until Hako and his second in command has dragged Hadar to his feet before continuing. “There could be children outside. No child should have to see that. I think he should be allowed to keep his underwear.”

Leave-it cackles with glee.

-

While Hako and his second in command drag a confused Halcyon out of there, Corin slumps a little and exhales. The exhaustion he'd felt earlier comes back with a vengeance.

“You okay?” Din asks, balancing the child on one arm so he can reach out and place his freed hand behind Corin's neck.

Corin nods. “I'm fine.” For some reason, that makes the fingers twitch on his neck. He doesn't get to wonder why as Corin's attention is then drawn to Mose flinching away just as Mi'lah is about to place a huge cloth against his hide and the Hutt then pulls himself up to a towering height.  
Corin sees the surprise and confusion on Mi'lah's face, the wariness in Mose's expression and the tension radiating from Zev'sonya by his side. Corin takes a step forward, about to say something, anything, to prevent this from blowing up, but then Mi'lah holds the cloth out for inspection.

“It's just bacta.” She says, having recognized the act as defensive and not hostile. “I promise.”

Zev'sonya steps forward and touches the cloth with her bare hands. She rubs her fingertips together to check the substance and then looks up at him and nods. Bacta. Nothing harmful, to him or Junior.  
Mose doesn't look happy, but he lowers himself and keeps still while Mi'lah gently places the cloth to his stomach, then she and Zev'sonya wrap a bandage each around his torso to keep it in place without restraining the Huttlet.  
Fastening the bandage, Zev'sonya discretely looks over at Mi'lah, studies her with a thoughtful expression on her face, tosses a quick glance over at Leave-it, before giving Mose a light pat to signal she's done and steps back to stand next to her fellow Twi'lek. To Mi'lah's credit, her smile only wavers a little under Mose's scowl and steadily increasing amount of drool.  
“ _Arni._ ” Zev'sonya mumbles in a language Corin doesn't recognize.

Surprised, Mi'lah turns her attention over to Zev'sonya and her once shaky smile is suddenly bright enough to light up the entire planet.

After that, the tension bleeds out of the room and exhaustion seems to sneak up on them all. Including the child, who sags backwards to drowse in the cradle of Din's arm, safe and happy.  
“Master Corin,” Andra says, “may I suggest you and your companions retire for the night. I will supervise clean-up and have Hako set up extra security until we can get the gates fixed in the morning.”

Corin looks over at Din, not comfortable with the idea of letting others do the work while he lazes about but also aware of the fact that they're all tired and would probably be of little use. “Yeah?”

Din nods. “Sounds good to me.”

Mi'lah steps up next to Leave-it and pretends to include everyone when she asks; “Unless someone else needs bacta treatment too?”

Leave-it grins and winks at her. “Nothing wrong with me that a smile from a pretty lady can't fix.”

Flushing and giggling, Mi'lah is clearly charmed while just about everyone else rolls their eyes. 

One by one, they trail out of the kitchen until Corin and Din are the last ones there and he's just about to follow the Mandalorian when a final glance back into the kitchen makes Corin pause.  
He places a light hand on Din's left pauldron. “Go tuck the kid in. I'll be there soon.”

Din hesitates, looks at what is bothering him and then relents with a sigh. “You got ten minutes, then I'm off looking for you. This place is even less safe with those gates down.”

Corin nods. “Ten minutes. Roger that.”

Once Din has left and silence is heavy in the air, Corin walks over to where Mose is standing in the loading doorway, looking up at the stars. He pauses next to him, looks up as well. “Does it hurt?”

“Not really. As long as I keep still.” Mose replies, but his voice doesn't sound right.

“How's Junior?” Corin can't forget how miserable she'd looked and feels that pinch of guilt again.

“Sleeping. She'll be fine too. She's tough, you know.”

Corin hesitates before taking the chance. “So what's bothering you?”

Mose doesn't answer right away, but the words won't be held in. “Have you ever been disgusted by your own kind? Felt like you're a mistake, that you don't fit in because there is something wrong with you? Or, wondered if there is something wrong with all of them?”

Mose is feeling the weight of Lubba's acts. Corin exhales a faint laugh at the familiarity of those thoughts. “Yeah.” He looks over at Mose's face. “Yeah, I know exactly how that feels. All of that.”

Mose looks down at him, a surprised frown. “You do?”

Corin turns his attention back at the stars. His father's grave. Knowing how angry this would make him. “The Mottis and the Valentis. They're responsible for so much bad stuff.” A bitter smile emerges. “And I always thought I was a mistake because I didn't fit in. I still think that sometimes.”

Mose looks up at the stars as well and he lifts a hand to gently pat Corin's head. “I like how you are, pretty boy.”

The bitter smile is replaced by a quiet but genuine laugh. Maybe they're both a couple of mistakes, but does that have to be a bad thing? “Right back at you, ma pateesa.” _My friend_

Entering the room, Corin is pleased to find Din already in bed and the child asleep on his chest.  
“Everything okay?” Din asks in a quiet voice so not to wake the little bean.

Corin tries to memorize the beautiful sight of his family safe and relaxed. “Yeah. I think so.” Actually, he decides that right now everything is very much okay.  
Well, until he tries to get these stupid painted-on pants off! After minutes of tugging, pushing, squirming and mentally cursing so intently it would have made Beskar blush, Corin makes a gargantuan effort to free himself and the squawk he makes as he falls ends up waking the child.

-

The fragile and expensive glass flies through the air, hits the wall and shatters into a million shimmering pieces.

“Call him!” Venenifer demands, shaking with fury. She can't believe that IDIOT Halcyon had failed. She had 'handed' him that child, he had an entire army with him, and still he failed! How is that possible?!

The maid looks ready to cry, stupid woman, and is trembling where she stands. “But...” She cowers under the glare that gets her, but still insists on simpering on. “Are you sure, Mistress? The price he set is-”

“CALL HIM!” Venenifer screams.

-

The next morning Leo is up early, eager to explore Corin's house. This place is huge! And there is stuff here that is worth more than Leo earned throughout his entire military career. It's unreal.  
A part of him keeps waiting to be thrown out because low ranking individuals like him aren't allowed in places like these.

Din, for some weird reason, is whispering secrets with the one called Andra, asking for a favor? Corin is busy in his office all day, especially after a guy in fancy clothes appears. That, Leo's told, is the Motti lawyer. Boring business stuff is not something Leo wants to spend his precious time on, no thanks, so he ducks out of there before he can be roped into anything.  
The Zabrak, Hako, seems like a nice guy, but he too is busy; organizing repairs and security. Leo is quick to duck out of there as well. More boring stuff. More no thanks.  
The other souls working in the house are wary of Leo, curious but suspicious, and he can't really blame them for keeping their distance. They have little to no reason to trust strangers. 

The only one who is truly happy to see him is of course sweet Mi'lah. She doesn't hesitate to give her smiles and her trust. She's like a ray of sunshine in the house and Leo can't help but to admire that she's managed to keep that optimism despite the cruel surroundings. She's great fun. A great friend.  
The one Leo really wants to find is of course Zev, but she's incredibly difficult to track down. Not even Mose knows what she's up to. If Leo didn't know any better, he'd say she's avoiding him?  
He ends up playing with Corin and Din's kid for a couple of hours and he considers stealing him.

When evening approaches, Leo is convinced he was actually meant for the rich life when he enters the kitchen with the others and sees the entire table covered in fancy food and drinks. “Man...” He wraps an arm around Corin's shoulders. “The crazy neighbors might be worth it for this.”

Corin snorts a laugh and shoves him away.

It is looking to be an awesome evening, well deserved after the fighting they'd done against Lubba, and Leo's smile lasts until he sees Zev and Hako enter the kitchen together. Wait. What?  
Watching them, watching as the Zabrak talks to her, Leo's heart stops for a beat when she smiles. She doesn't look annoyed, like she often does with Leo. She looks... interested.  
Moving his gaze away, taking a deep breath, Leo puts his glass carefully down on the table before he steals another look. Maybe he'd seen wrong? But, no. She's actually smiling and there is no mistaking the interest in the Zabrak's eyes as well.

Leo suddenly doesn't feel like eating or drinking anything at all. His stomach is just a tight knot.  
Quietly excusing himself, telling Corin he's not feeling well, he retreats to his room.

Getting on the bed, curling up on his side with his back to the door, Leo stares at the wall. He knew that Zev dabbling with someone else was a risk as she had warned him, several times, that they were not exclusive, so technically he was prepared for this. Yet, it still hurts, so flipping much.  
And what if she decides she's done playing with Leo? That Hako is the one? Leo's eyes burn while he tries to pretend that everything is fine. He's good at pretending. It might be the only thing he's good at.

Time passes, but suddenly there is a beep from the locked door. Someone wants in.  
“I'm not here.” Leo shouts, curling up even tighter. He can't find a smile to put on right now.

“It's me, you idiot.” Zev's voice. “Let me in.”

Startled, Leo spins around and sits up. He quickly wipes at his eyes and gets up from the bed.  
What is she doing here? Well, at least that means Hako didn't impress as she had stayed with Leo for several hours when she came to his room at the inn. So there is still hope.  
Leo swipes the lock into off mode and the door slides open, revealing a frowning Zev.

“Corin said you weren't feeling well. You okay?”

Leo nods. “Yeah, I'm... I'm better. It was nothing.” He backs up a couple of steps, gesturing for her to enter. She steps inside, scans him with her critical gaze. Leo knows he has act cool and unfazed so not to cause any trouble, which is why he hates his own stupid mouth for saying the next words; “I'm surprised you're here. I thought you'd be busy with Hako right now.”

That makes her roll her eyes and turn to leave.

“I'm sorry!” Leo blurts out. “I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry, I won't say anything. I swear. Please, don't go.” He quickly backs up to the bed and sits down to be at her mercy. “I'll be quiet. I'll be good. Don't leave.” He sees her looking at him, frowning even deeper now, and he fears he just ruined everything he has so carefully has built between them with that little slip of stupid jealousy he has no right to feel. She's right; he is an idiot. “Whatever you want, I promise. I'll be quiet.”  
He will fight for what can be between them, but he won't go where he's not wanted. It's her choice.

Sighing, Zev walks over to him. But to his surprise, she reaches down and stops him from pulling off his shirt. “No.” When he looks up at her, Leo is even more surprised as she gently cups his face between her hands instead. “That's not why I'm here.” At his confused expression, she shrugs. “I saw you leave. Corin said you didn't feel well, so I wanted to check up on you. That's all.”  
She lets go and, again, turns to leave.

“Stay?” Leo asks in a silent voice. When she pauses and looks back at him with a dry expression on her face, about to repeat that she's not there for what she thinks he wants, Leo shakes his head. “Not for that.” He hesitates before confessing why he's always up early these days. “I keep dreaming that it was all just a dream. I keep dreaming that Hauroko is still here. I talk to her, she yells at me for dodging the blood tests. I do something stupid, she saves my ass, like before and then... I wake up. And it wasn't a dream. Hauroko is gone. She's gone forever. And I... I...”

Zev's features soften, it makes her look younger, and she walks back to him. “Fine. Get in.”  
Leo scrambles to obey.

He's lying on his side, staring at her. She's lying on her back, staring at the ceiling.

“I'm sorry.” Zev says out of nowhere.

“For what?” Leo hopes it isn't something she has agreed to with Hako.

“I was wrong. I said you couldn't hack pretending to be a slave, then I turn out to be the one who nearly cracks while you take down the Hutt.” Zev looks over at him. “That was a good shot.”

Leo shrugs. “You were right. I couldn't have kept from screaming my head off when that Hutt had groped me like he did you guys. You did awesome, Zev. I lost count of how many times you sank those blades into him.”  
She smiles a little, a touch of sadness in her eyes, and it makes him anxious.  
“Do you like Hako?” Leo hears himself ask. He has to know if the fight is still on or if it is all over.

Zev instantly looks annoyed. “Go to sleep, idiot.”

“I'll take that as a yes.” Leo replies, trying to do the math of the situation. “And he likes you too. Which I totally understand.” He gathers his courage. “But... you left him to check up on me?”

“Go. To. Sleep.” She growls. Is that a light flush rising in her face?

“You like me.” Leo states with a growing mix of disbelief and giddy joy. “You actually like me!”

Zev turns her face away and makes an annoyed huff. “Shut up.”

“No, I will not shut up.” Leo says, sliding over to wrap his arms around her waist and curling down to rest his head on her stomach. “Because you llllllllike me.” Would a victory dance be unseemly?

A snort of a laugh escapes from her lips before Zev manages to clamp down on it and she reaches down to halfheartedly swat at his head with a light hand. “You're such an idiot.”

“Zev, now that you like me, will you marry me?” Leo mumbles against her stomach.  
“No.” Zev replies and runs her fingers through his hair. She seems fascinated by it.  
“Please?”  
“No.”

Leo knows marriage sounds like a big deal, it is for him, but it won't be for her. Not if she marries him. She'll be free again pretty soon. “You wouldn't be bound by it too long, you know.”

He's not prepared for the sudden movement, of abruptly ending up on his back and having a very angry Twi'lek straddling his stomach and her hands digging into his shoulders. “You are _not_ going to die. We're going to find a cure.”

Relaxing into his new position, Leo manages a faint smile. “Listen, I will happily follow you around the Galaxy while you do your thing, but we both know how this will end.”

Zev clenches her jaw for a moment, her eyes narrow and her fingers dig harshly into his shoulders, but then she loses the anger and says, a little quietly; “You promised me.”

Exhaling a faint laugh, lifting his right hand and gently running the back of his fingers along her cheekbone, Leo nods. “I did. Didn't I?” He'd promised he wouldn't die. “I guess I won't then.”  
Zev sinks down and now she is the one to rest her head on his chest. Leo barely dares to breathe, can hardly believe she's choosing to be near him like this. This feels like the perfect dream.  
So why can't he keep his mouth shut?? “Can I at least get you a ring?”

Zev groans and hides her face against his chest in a frustrated move that only makes his heart ache with adoration.  
“Come on, Zev. Let me get you a ring. A real pretty one. While you think about marrying me.”

“Fine.” She mumbles into his shirt.

Leo isn't entirely sure he heard right. “Seriously?”

Zev turns her head to speak freely. “Two conditions.”

Here we go. “Alright, let me hear them.”  
“One, it has to be insanely expensive.”  
“Roger that.” Odd request, but he can do that. Somehow.  
“Two, you have to steal it.”

Leo opens and closes his mouth a couple of times. Steal it? He's no thief. Why would she... Oh. She thinks he won't steal something and so she won't have to wear his ring? Hah. “Fine.”

“Fine.” She replies, a smug smirk in her voice.

Leo smirks as well. Let her gloat. He's got a plan already and will have that ring on her finger soon enough. “Thank you.”

“Shut up and sleep, Leo.”

“Okay.”

-

Kiergan walks back in the ship, away from the cockpit, needing to be away from Yurei for a bit or he fears his blood pressure will never return to normal, and he pauses where Heiden has nestled in next to his technical equipment. The young man is switching between working on his datapad, looking up at the two improvised radar screens he'd set up, and talking to the eternally loyal Mouse droid by his side.  
“How's it looking?” Kiergan asks, keeping his voice down so not to wake Raga.

The Mandalorian is sitting on the floor at the far back of the ship, arms crossed and helmet tipped slightly forward. It's the first time she's gotten any rest and he hopes it might improve her mood, but he doubts it. If his companion got kidnapped, Kiergan would be a mess too.

Heiden makes a face. “I'm working on some leads. I'm just not loving what I'm starting to see.”

“Which is?” Kiergan asks.

“That there might be a lot more of them than three. Considering the amount of different signals, a lot more.” Heiden glances over when Mouse nudges his leg and makes a couple of beeps and boops. “I'm getting to it, buddy. Don't worry.” He pets the droid and looks back up at Kiergan again. “What I can read from this, it smells a lot like Mando tech. Why would Paz be kidnapped by his own?”

“Why would Mandos be any different from us?” Yurei asks with a grin, arms crossed and leaning his shoulder against the doorway to the cockpit. “They also have a bunch of different societies.”

Kiergan sighs and closes his eyes for a bit, trying to forget the sight of the light from the cockpit behind Yurei highlighting the man's tempting frame. He honestly can't tell what frustrates him the most; that Yurei is making sense for once or having the damn nerve to look that good. “Fair point.” He focuses on Heiden. “How long until you're able to lock down on their location.”

Heiden shrugs. “Hours. Maybe.”

“That means we still have hours to kill.” Yurei declares with glee, sending Kiergan a meaningful look.

Kiergan clenches his jaw, feels his face starting to heat up at the thought of what Yurei is probably picturing right now, and has to tell himself it would be a bad idea to shoot Yurei as the blaster shot might shatter the transparisteel in the cockpit and kill them all. “That means we have some hours to figure out how we are going to be able deal with their superior numbers.” His face is burning now.

Yurei's smile and pitch black eyes doesn't lose a fraction of their amusement. 

“I, uh, have an idea...” Heiden says awkwardly, looking from Kiergan to Yurei and back again. “If anyone of you, uh, are interested in hearing it?”

“Yes.” Kiergan grits out. “Talk.”

“Roger that. So, I said there were a bunch of signals, right?” Heiden taps something on his datapad and turns it for them to see the bunch of gibberish on the screen. “Look.”

Kiergan goes from heated embarrassment to blank. “I'm looking.” He shakes his head a little. “I have no idea what I'm looking at, but I'm looking.”

Yurei exhales a soft laugh. “You're looking at the solution to our problem.”

Shaking his head again, Kiergan gives up. “Explain?”

“I kind of, uh, accidentally sliced into a different system. I forgot to exclude external signals so it got caught up in my net.” Heiden shrugs one shoulder. “It's Din. He's not too far from here.”

“You found Din?” Raga's voice suddenly says as she stands next to Kiergan.

Kiergan, Heiden and Mouse flinch with startled yelps and a tiny robotic shriek.

Grabbing the datapad, Raga's t-visor reflects the glowing gibberish. “Can our signal reach him?”

Swallowing hard, Heiden gathers his courage to answer. “With a little help, sure.”

She gives him the datapad back. “Do it.” Raga turns her focus to Kiergan. “You said you wanted to help. Does that include fighting Mandalorians?”

Kiergan nods. The second she and Paz had offered to help the castle if they ever needed help, they had his loyalty. “But I can only speak for myself. Heiden does his best fighting with technology and I've promised Mokae to bring him back in one piece.”

Raga turns her t-visor to Yurei, who shrugs with easy confidence and says; “Where Kiergan goes, I go.”  
“Transmit Din's coordinates to the cockpit and send him a message that I need to talk to him.” Raga pushes by Yurei and gets into the pilot seat. “We're running out of time.”

-

Corin sits on the floor and watches the little bean stacking improvised blocks with halfhearted enthusiasm next to the pile of pillows, blankets and duvets where Mose is drowsing. After almost fifteen minutes of his calling chirps turning louder and increasingly pleading, the little bean has given up on Junior emerging and now sulks in silent boredom. When a block won't stay on top of the others, the child's ears draw back and his eyes narrow.

The block goes flying through the room and hits the wall so hard it ends up half-embedded in it.

Corin sighs and leans back, resting his back against Din's legs as he sits on a chair behind him. “I think he's getting stronger...”

Din hums thoughtfully and runs his gloved fingers lightly up and down the back of Corin's neck. “Yeah. He threw twenty soldiers around and it took hours before he felt it.”

“Marcus, I mean, Luke said we had to control his temper but how do you prevent a kid from getting angry?” Corin makes a face of dread. “Can you imagine what he'll be as a teenager?”

Snorting a laugh, Din is just starting on a reply when he suddenly freezes up. A moment pass and his hand vanishes as he sits up and starts fidgeting with his vambrace.

Corin twists a little to look back at him and easily recognizes the behavior; an incoming message on his communication system. Paz and Raga are nearby? Or someone else from the Covert?  
Corin absently reaches out and stabilizes the block tower before it topples over and the child sends more blocks flying while waiting for Din to finish his conversation.

Eventually Din does lower his arm, all tension, and his t-visor turns to focus on Corin again.

“What's wrong?” Corin asks, instantly anxious.

“Someone grabbed Paz. Raga has tracked them down and needs help busting him out.” Din says.

The shock of the idea that anyone could just 'grab' Paz makes Corin withdraw his hand and the tower topples. The child squeaks angrily and Corin absently scoops him up on his lap to soothe him a little. “Sorry, kiddo.” He looks back up at Din. “How is that even possible?”

Din shakes his head and gets up on his feet. “I don't know.” He taps at his vambrace again. “But if they're not already regretting it, they will. Raga is baying for blood.”

Corin tilts his head, hearing the strain in Din's voice. Raga is not the only one ready to dig their teeth into the guilty ones and tear them apart. “When does she get here? When do we leave?”

“Today. Later. I don't know.” Din mutters, stabbing at buttons. “They were at home. They're supposed to be safe at home. Now I got to worry about them when they're at home? Who is **stupid** enough to attack a Mandalorian by their Covert? Why would they grab Paz? That big idiot is the least practical hostage in the Galaxy. He takes up a lot of space, it costs a fortune to feed him, he sprawls in his sleep and takes up even more room. He... He...”

Corin gets up and steps close to him. “Din. We'll get him back.”

Din takes a deep breath and nods. “Yeah... Yeah, we will.” There is a promise of violence in those words. “Are you sure you want in on this?”

Corin hesitates as he hears his father's voice whispering in his head, _-He doesn't want you there_. But this isn't about Corin. This is about Paz. “I know he's more your brother than mine, but I do care about him. I want him back too.”

Din makes a frustrated sound and Corin is somewhat startled by being yanked into a tight hug, even has to shield the child a little so he doesn't get entirely squished between them. “Din?”

“I'll find out how much time we got.” Din mumbles, reluctantly pulling away to start stabbing a finger at the vambrace again. “Mose, would you and the others be okay to stick around and keep an eye on this place while we're gone? In case that Judge tries something again?”

“I will have to check with Lorda, but I doubt she'll mind.” Mose replies. “Do you need weapons?”

“Yeah...” Din sighs. “I think we do.”

Mose smirks. “Good thing Lorda has stored a bunch on our ship then.”

Corin absently pats the child's back while fighting an unsettling feeling that this feels a lot more like preparing for war rather than a rescue mission. “Do we have any idea who we're up against?”

Din pauses, then looks at him and gives him the last answer Corin was expecting; “Mandalorians.”

-

“You are definitely a Vizla. There's no denying that.” The woman's voice is filled with both annoyance and dry humor. “I have never worked with a more stubborn breed in my life.”

Paz tries to swallow but his throat is so dry it almost hurts. “Liar.”

Tilting her head curiously, the woman sits cross-legged on the floor in front of him in his little make-shift cell. “You're not a Vizla? You're not stubborn? Then tell me where my saber is.”

Paz tries to swallow again. “You've never worked with my clan.”

The woman with the red hair laughs with a touch of disbelief. “Your father never told you? No, I guess he wouldn't. The Children were meant to be completely separate from us, I suppose.” She looks away for a moment, not that there is anything interesting to look at in this dark, bare-walled and empty room. Her face is obscenely bare as she'd removed her helmet the second she stepped inside. She then looks back at Paz with no mercy in her eyes. “Your uncle's stubbornness resulted in his death. Stubbornness and arrogance. Traits he shared with your father. And, clearly, with you. I know because I was his second in command. I saw his strengths, his weaknesses and his face.”

“Liar.” Paz repeats. There is no way his noble uncle would have removed his helmet.

“Maybe I am not the liar.” The woman says, getting up with her helmet under her arm. “Maybe the truth you have been told all your life isn't the truth after all?”

Turning his t-visor away, Paz is too tired to argue. Her words make no sense to him. Why can't she just kill him and get it over with? He's ready to go.

“Oh.” The woman says, pausing as she's about to step out of the room to look back at him a final time. “There is word that some Mandalorian is looking for you. Gray and red armor? Someone you know? A friend? Maybe we should invite them here and ask them if they know where the saber is?”

Paz snaps his t-visor towards the door, his body flinching and then burning with countless aches to complain against any kind of movement right now, but the woman is already gone.

- _Don't. For all that is holy and sacred, Raga, don't come here..._

But she will. And he knows it.

There is nothing but death that will stop her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang sets out to rescue Paz.  
> Paz learns an uncomfortable truth about his father, Din learns an uncomfortable truth about Paz and Corin learns that there are different ways to live as a Mandalorian.  
> Raga goes on a rampage, Zev sees something she wishes she hadn't and the Dark Saber appears.  
> As does a ghost from Corin's past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ ](https://ibb.co/0X1H6yf)
> 
> _Excuse me while I roll around on the floor and wail at the beauty of this! Not only the image itself being a feast for the eye, but also for the soul as the art deity cac0daemonia captures the feeling of the moment between two unlikely friends with more in common than they knew. Not gonna lie; Corin is looking so fiiiiiiine I would be walking into door frames too! And I have an unhealthy obsession with his hipbones and the shiny shoes xD And don't get me started on his hair and dem muscles... Ngh...! But the expression in his face is just heartbreakingly gorgeous T-T And then there is sweet Mose <3 Who I still am baffled is so well received by you kind readers. I expected him to be tolerated at best. Here he reaches out to show kindness in the only way he knows when it come sto humans, with such a mild and content look on his face. How can a Hutt be cute? I don't know, but Caco makes it happen!! <3 <3 And the bandage, the shading is so fascinating! Same is the fact that we can't see the stars they are looking at and yet I can without a doubt see they are standing in star light. Amazing. Just... amazing!_
> 
> -

While Din prepares for battle, Corin is located in the kitchen with the others.  
“Listen, if something should happen to the both of us, I've made it so you have access to the funds and given authority to sort out the rest of the Motti businesses, okay? Make sure the kid gets his share and bring him to the Covert if... if that happens.” Corin says to the one right in front of him.

Zev'sonya has her arms crossed and her eyebrows raised as high as she can get them. “You... are aware of the fact that I'm basically a thief, right? And you're trusting me with your fortune?”

Corin manages a faint smile, not doubting her loyalty for a second. She acts tough, but there is a friendship between them now, whether she considers that bad luck or not, and she won't abuse that. “I trust you.” He looks over at Mose on his soft pile of bedding, wordlessly asking for another confirmation that he will continue to pamper the child, gets a nod from him, and then rests his gaze on the beloved womp rat playing with Junior on the floor.

The little bean has been acting quite sullen lately and Corin's heart is heavy with guilt. He hates the fact that they will be separating yet again for another dangerous mission, but once they have Paz back, then they will rush back here and sort things out and their little family can just be together again. No more bad luck.

“Well, you guys be careful. Kick ass, pick up the big boy and come back here in one piece. Yeah? That way we won't have to find out.” Zev'sonya mutters a little awkwardly.

Corin lets out a soft and quiet laugh. “Deal.” He walks over to kneel down next to the children. “Okay, I'm leaving...” His son flicks an ear but won't look at him. Junior makes a curious cheep and pauses to watch them. “I'm sorry,” Corin says, drawing a gentle hand over the fuzzy, green head, “I will make it up to you. I promise.” He leans down and places a soft kiss on his head, then hears Junior cheep again and so he leans over to give her head a kiss as well. “You two have fun. Me and Din will be back real soon.”

Corin gets up and stalks out of the room, knowing he'd only make it worse for himself by lingering, but he's barely three steps down the hallway before someone follows him out of the kitchen.  
“Corin, wait.” Leave-it hurries over when Corin pauses and turns with a curious look on his face. “I need to ask you something.”

“Sure. What's on your mind?”

“You didn't happen to inherit a ring you don't want to keep, did you?” Leave-it says, apropos nothing.

For a second Corin tries to make sense of the request but ends up giving a faint shrug of confusion. “Maybe? I don't know. Probably. I don't know if there is anything left from my mother, but Antonia's rings are probably still at the Motti mansion. Why?”

“Because I have to steal one.” Leave-it replies, as if that makes more sense. 

Corin considers this for a second, sees no logic, draws a breath and says; “Again; why?”

“It's for Zev.” Leave-it admits with a shy smile. “She told me she would only accept a ring from me if it was really expensive and if I stole it. I think she's betting on me not having the guts to do that.”

Amidst the guilt of leaving the little bean behind again and the gnawing worry about Paz, Corin savors this moment of delighted surprise. “You're giving her a ring? As in, an engagement ring?”

“Yeah.” Leave-it beams. “I want to make it official and if stealing a ring is what it will take, then that's what I'll do!” The smile is abruptly replaced with alarm and he quickly reassures Corin; “But I will pay you for it, of course!” A brief pause. “Well, I can't technically pay you for the ring itself, but let's say it is for your trouble? For looking away? And, uh, I may have to, like, need a little time to get the credits together, but I promise you I'm good for it! I promise!”

Grinning, Corin waves a hand at him. “Don't worry about it. Ask Mi'lah or Andra to show you what's available and pick whichever you want. One, two, five, ten, as many rings as you feel like. And I don't need any credits. Trust me, I really don't. Steal away.”

“You sure?” Leave-it sounds and looks stunned.

And, yeah, once upon a time Corin would have been stunned at someone declining payment too, he's been broke more often than not throughout his life, but that was before he inherited the Motti fortune. What's the point of being rich if you can't share it with your family and friends? Corin might be a magnet for bad luck, but he can be good luck to someone else, at least.  
“I'm sure.” Corin says, amused. “Take whatever you want.”

“Buddy, I could kiss you! But I'm in love with Zev and Din would kill me, so...” Leave-it laughs a little and merely goes in for a tight hug instead. “Thank you.”

Corin leans into the hug and closes his eyes for a moment. It's not long ago that physical contact would either have meant nothing to him or been considered a threat of violence. Other than Din, Corin hasn't really been hugged much. Except for in some memories he can't quite allow to surface. But this feels nice. “Good luck.” Corin says, pulling back to look at him. Knowing Zev'sonya, the blond is going to need a lot of good luck to be allowed through those final walls of hers.

In response, Corin sees Leave-it for the very first time fail at a smile in his presence. “I should, right? Ask her? Even though... I mean... She's been very adamant about what me and her are, that our relationship is purely physical. Which is not exactly marriage material... Kriff, what if she says no? What if she was just being nice?” The usually glittering eyes are now dark with worry.

“She won't say no.” Corin reassures him, reaching out and placing his hand behind Leave-it's neck to give it a gentle squeeze. “If she didn't like the idea, she would have told you. She wouldn't have come up with this... stunt. Or test. Or whatever she wants to call it. She would have told you to your face and made sure you got it in no uncertain terms. She would be blunt about it. Right?”

Leave-it's smile turns genuine and he nods, relieved. “Yeah...” He laughs a little at his own moment of weakness and perks right up again. “Yeah, you're absolutely right! Thanks, man. For everything.”

Corin nods with a faint smile of his own. “Go get her. Trust me, walking around hoping because you're too afraid to ask? Not the better option.”

-

They are standing next to the Razor Crest, watching in silence as Raga's ship lands in the still unnaturally clean and shiny hangar. Corin feels a little better going into battle with his armor and clothes on and a blaster by his hip this time, but the waves of tension rolling off Din makes his skin prickle with unease and his stomach is clenched into a tight knot.  
Din has been very quiet since Raga's message, but his body language is screaming.

And when the ship has landed and the ramp has lowered, Corin can tell by the very first glance as she comes stalking into view; Raga is every bit the triggered grenade about to explode too.  
She stops at the middle of the ramp and looks at them. “Let's go.”

By the time she's turned around and heads back inside the ship again, Din is already striding forward and Corin has to scramble after him.

Inside the ship, Raga disappears into the cockpit and Din is about to follow when Mouse comes wheeling out from under the panel where it had been hiding, accidentally blocking the Mandalorian's path.  
Din jolts to a startled halt and draws his blaster to fire at it as if it was coming for his throat.

“No!” Heiden dives forward and wraps his arms protectively around the frightened droid beeping for its life. “Don't shoot! He's friendly. I swear.”

“That's an Imp droid.” Din snarls with anger and contempt. “Where did that come from? When did... Did you pick that thing up on Gideon's ship? Has that been spying on us since then?”

“Din...” Corin speaks carefully, inching closer. “It's harmless. It's programmed to our side.”

“You knew about this.” Din grumbles.

Swallowing hard, Corin nods. “I'm sorry. I just... I know you don't like droids, but it is Heiden's friend and they live at the Castle and we weren't there and... I'm sorry. Please.”

Din is quiet for two seconds, then he slowly holsters his blaster. “Fine.” Thank the stars he just sounds uneasy and not angry. “Just... keep it away from me.”

“I promise.” Heiden vows in a nervous whisper, ushering the droid out of Din's way and to safety.

Din nods and heads into the cockpit to join Raga.

After that tension, there is a moment of relief when Corin sees Kiergan standing there with a welcoming smile. “Hey.” Corin reaches out and they shake hands. “You okay?”

Kiergan nods, then glances back at the anxious Heiden and blank faced Yurei standing behind him. “We're ready. Heiden is staying on the ship, but me and Yurei will be going in with you.”

Corin reaches out and bumps a light fist to Kiergan's shoulder. “I appreciate it.” He looks over at Yurei. “Thanks.”

Yurei nods, but seems more interested in staring at Kiergan. As usual.

“Just remember to be careful when we get there.” Corin advices them. “We're going up against Mandalorians this time and you've seen how tough they fight.”

“Roger that.” Kiergan replies with a solemn nod, having more than once proclaimed he was relieved Din and the others were on their team and not against them.

Corin considers heading into the cockpit as well, get a sit-rep, but then the ship shudders and they all have to scramble for a seat as they take off and head towards the darkness of space.

Once they are out in the calm nothingness of pure vacuum, Corin is too tense to keep quiet so he turns back to Kiergan sitting at the opposite side. “Is everything okay back home? Tell Kinnon we met her brother. He helped us out.”

“You met Laszo?” Kiergan sounds surprised then chuckles as he shakes his head. “I take it he didn't steal everything not nailed down as you're not cursing his name? You keep making unlikely friends, Corin.”

Laughing a little awkwardly, Corin shrugs. “It wasn't me. He did it for his sister.” 

“Either way, she'll be pleased to hear he didn't embarrass her.” Kiergan replies. “As for back home, things are... busy. Surprisingly busy. We got a large group of Troopers appearing on our doorstep after Gideon's ship went down, looking for the safe haven they'd heard Michael had set up. And since then, more and more have appeared. Word is really spreading across the Galaxy.”

Frowning, Corin feels a hint of worry. “And no trouble? None of them has turned out to be like...”

“Dom?” Kiergan asks wryly, before shaking his head. “Nothing yet. But we try to keep up some rules and guidelines to control how much damage a traitor could cause.”

“Good...” Corin mumbles, looking down at the floor. He doesn't like to think about Dominic, about how Corin's blind trust had allowed Dominic to take him away from his family and turn him into someone else.  
Dominic was clever, strong and fearless. He would have been a great asset to have on their team, but instead chose to align himself with Motti and Gideon and that, unfortunately, cost him his life.  
Good luck and Din's strength were the only things that had given Corin his memories back.

-

“Your father and Pre, they were constantly arguing.” The woman says, sounding almost sentimental, with a touch of bitterness. “They were both determined to walk The Way, but where Pre wanted the Galaxy to kneel to the Mandalorians, your father wanted to return to the ancient Way where all that matters is the battle. It was strange, they had faces like twins and yet were so very different.”

Having tried to block out the sound of her lies, Paz still can't resist defending his father's honor. “First my uncle, now you try to claim my father broke his Creed too? Enough with the lies!”

Anger flares in the woman's eyes, always without a helmet now, then she leans forward and speaks.

Paz turns his t-visor away, his heart beating faster and faster and he closes his eyes hard as he tries to ignore how she describes his father's face to perfection.

-

It almost feels like old days, Corin realizes, sitting in the back of a ship with other Troopers and not knowing much beyond the fact that they will land some place and fight. It's a bittersweet feeling.

Time passes with Kiergan telling more about what has been going on at the Castle and Heiden sharing what he'd learned from hacking the kidnappers signals, how he had tracked down their location, how their numbers varies between three and twenty eight but has been at a steady seven lately. As for the former TIE pilot... Yurei doesn't say much, he either sleeps or stares at Kiergan. His black clothes combined the dim light on the ship make him seem even paler than usual.

Finally Din emerges and years of condition as soldiers make them sit up attentively, automatically responding to the one they acknowledge as the commanding officer. Din's t-visor slides from one to the other, almost a little thoughtfully, before he speaks.  
“We're approaching where they're holding Paz.” Din turns his attention to Heiden. “Raga said you'd put together some comm devices that are linked up to our helmets?”

Heiden nods frantically and scrambles over to gather up some small objects by where he'd set up his work place. “Yeah, uh, I, well, we'll need to communicate through this and, uhm, I...” He ends up just holding out his hands, offering up the small pile of ear pieces to Din. “I didn't have much time... So they're very simple... Just a receiver and a mic you turn on and off on that one button there.”

Din nods. “It was good thinking. And good work. Thank you.” He gestures for Heiden to hand them out to Corin and the others and while he does, Din finally gives them the plan: “We're going to land soon. Heiden, you'll stay on the ship. We'll try to get as close as possible to Paz' location without being spotted, then Kiergan and Yurei will get their attention and draw them away. Me and Corin will find Paz and get him out. We'll message you once he's out and we'll meet back by the ship. This will be stealth and blitz strategy. Understood?”

“Roger that.” Corin, Kiergan and Heiden reply as one. Yurei smirks and nods.

Din nods as well. “Any questions?”

Kiergan slowly raises a tentative hand. Corin sends him a surprised look. They don't ask questions about missions. Ever.

“You don't have to raise your...” Din sighs. “What's your question?”

“What about...” Kiergan nods cautiously towards the cockpit, “her?”

There is a pause before Din answers and his voice is carefully neutral. “She'll do her own thing. Don't worry about her. Anything else?”

They shake their heads and watches in silence as Din disappears into the cockpit again.

It's not long after that when the ship shudders again as they enter a planet's atmosphere and Corin takes a deep breath, forcing away more memories of years in drop ships. This is not like that. They are not gun fodder. They are not there to suppress anyone, they are there to rescue a friend.  
Looking over, he sees Kiergan is staring at the floor with a slightly absent shine to his eyes and realizes he's struggling too. Corin reaches out and touches his shoulder, giving him an encouraging smile when his attention shifts up to him.  
It seems to help. Kiergan nods and smiles back. A quick check reveals Heiden busy tinkering with his datapad and Yurei asleep, no need for reassurances there. Good.

The ship touches ground and settles. Corin and the others are up on their feet, weapons drawn and ready when Din and Raga joins them. Now all they need is good luck to be on their side.  
The ramp opens with a soft hiss and they head outside.

Just as he's about to step down the ramp, Din grabs Corin's shoulder and holds him back. “Listen,” he says quietly, not transmitting on the shared line, “once we leave this ship, stay out of Raga's way.”

Frowning confused, Corin looks over at him. “What are you talking about?”

“Her anger right now, it's dangerous. For everyone. So don't get in her way. Understand?”

Din's low and solemn voice makes Corin nod while an anxious tingle runs down his spine.  
So that was why she wasn't included in the plan. Corin had seen several Troopers die due to friendly fire from the Death Troopers too set on killing the enemy to care if others got in their way.

Outside, Corin sees they have landed in a deep canyon, close to the steep rock-wall in an effort to keep the ship as hidden as possible. He scans the surroundings, sees nothing but brown rock and yellow dust and a tan sky, no sign of anyone rushing out to attack them yet, good luck.

They walk for a good fifteen minutes, then come around a turn and the canyon opens up to reveal the settlement they have been looking for. It's cleverly disguised. The area is riddled with what looks like umbrella trees and the many buildings under them are only visible from ground level.  
The only thing better hidden are the settlement's inhabitants; they are nowhere to be seen.

Scanning for signs of life, Corin notices the two barely visible doors at the base of the hill-side. If he was keeping prisoners, he would much rather hide them away inside solid rock than under a tree.

“Door on the left.” Din's voice says in Corin's earpiece over the shared line. “We're heading over. Kiergan, Yurei, wait three minutes then start making noise.”

“Roger that.” Kiergan replies.

“Roger that.” Corin agrees, fixating on the door Din had singled out. Time to get Paz back.

-

Apparently 'noise' means triggering a huge explosion, probably using most of their grenades, and Corin jumps when it goes off at the opposite side of the settlement.

He, Din and Raga are hiding next to the door between them and Paz, and it doesn't take long before it opens and two Mandalorians darts off to head towards the ruckus.  
“Wait!” Din hisses, but Raga is already rushing inside. He mutters something crude, gestures to Corin to stay close and heads in after her.

The corridor they enter is narrow and the roof only inches from their heads, if they meet more Mandalorians they will be trapped and Corin doesn't like the idea at all. Even the air feels cramped.  
It is dry and surprisingly clean inside, but poorly lit and claustrophobic. It feels like bad luck.  
Corin misses his HUD like crazy. He can barely see a thing down here.

At one point, the corridor splits in two and Raga stalks down the left one without stopping to ask where Din intends to go. Corin can hear him bite down on an annoyed sigh and he gestures for Corin to follow him down the other corridor.

Despite the sensation of bad luck hovering over them, Corin realizes they must have reached their target when they enter a small clearing and there is a row of doors along the wall there. This has to be where they're keeping Paz.  
The ground trembles softly with a faint boom. Kiergan and Yurei making more noise? Corin activates his mic. “Kiergan, was that you? Are you trying to blow up the entire place?”

“Yeah, uh, I thought I was blowing up some water tanks. I think it was fuel...” Kiergan's voice replies sheepishly.

Corin sighs and deactivates the mic again.

There are still no signs of any guards so Din moves over to the door closest to them. “Cover me.”

“Roger that.” Corin replies, walking over to stand with his back to Din and his blaster at the ready.

The first room is empty. When Din shifts over to slice the electronic lock on the second door by tapping away at his vambrace, they can hear blaster fire from within the mountain. Raga must have found someone to fight. Good luck or bad luck? Not knowing makes Corin hold his blaster a little tighter and he feels a drop of sweat trickle down his neck.  
The second room is empty too. Din snarls angrily but moves over to work on the third door.

Corin doesn't see it happening, but he hears when the door slides open and Din's voice being filled with worry as he calls out; “Paz!” He taps into the shared system. “I've found him. I found Paz.”

Despite his role to watch their backs, Corin spins around just as Din runs into the door and over to where Paz is sitting on the floor at the far side of the room. The usually towering figure sits slightly slumped to one side, open hands by his sides, and Corin has a moment of sharp fear of them being too late when Din kneels down and shakes the man; getting a faint groan in reply.  
He's alive.  
Closing his eyes for just a second, the relief too powerful not to, Corin turns back to watch for enemies. He can hear what he suspect is Raga's blaster somewhere deep in the mountain.

“Paz. We're getting you out of here.” Din's voice says.

“Din...?” Paz mumbles.

“Yeah. It's me, _vod_. Let's go. Get up.” Din makes a strained grunt. “Come on. Get up!”

Corin dares a glance back at them and sees Din with a hold on Paz' arm, trying to pull him up.

“I'm fine...” Paz mumbles, pushing Din's hands away and tries to get up on his feet by himself.

Din sighs resigned. “Don't you start with that too...”

Paz is not fine. Even Corin can see that. He's weak, confused, and judging by the way he's trying to claw at the wall to pull himself up with a bleeding arm and avoids putting any weight on his right leg; seriously injured. He's never going to be able to walk out of here by himself.

Corin's conclusion is proven right as Paz falls and falls again. Din reaches out to help him several times, but Paz keeps shoving him away and battles his way back up again.  
It's a painful and hopeless process. By the time he's made it halfway across the small room, Paz is exhausted and trembling and the danger of lingering there grows by each second. Corin shifts his weight anxiously. Raga is making her way closer to them, drawn by Din's announcement but also probably bringing enemies with her. There hasn't been a third explosion from Kiergan and Yurei...

“Paz...” Din reaches out, but Paz merely slaps his hands away.

“I can do it...” Paz mumbles sullenly, down on his knees with one hand on the floor for balance.

When Paz falls again and the grunt of pain that follows has a tinge of an agonized whimper to it, Din finally snaps.  
“Paz, you idiot!” He exclaims with angry frustration. “For all the countless times you've helped me since we were kids, can you for the love of Mandalor let me help you just this once?!”

It's the words not the anger, Corin knows, that has Paz staring up at Din. Stunned, breathing rapid shallow breaths due to the physical pain, it is as if Paz can't believe that Din would admit that there had been a time when he'd been vulnerable and allowed Paz to look after him.

Seconds pass in tense silence, but when Din clears his throat and leans down to grab his arm; Paz allows him. He lets him pull him up, wrap Paz' arm behind his neck to hold him up. He even lets Corin scurry over to his other side and grab that arm to place it behind his neck.  
Together, Din and Corin help him hobble out of the room.

“Thank you...” Paz quietly mumbles, barely audible.

Din grunts his acknowledgment.

Corin grins. Maybe good luck is on their side after all?

-

Setting off that explosion had been like kicking a bluebarb wasp nest. It had started with two Mandalorians appearing, but more and more keep showing up and they all swarm around mid-air with blasters drawn to hunt them down. There are definitely more than seven...

The umbrella trees that hides the settlement are now Kiergan and Yurei's best friends against the jetpack hunters. Not even the helmets seem to be able to pick up their heat signatures through the thick trees and they seem wary to land and make themselves targets after Kiergan and Yurei had dinged a Mandalorian each at the very beginning of this. He can only guess their reluctance to use grenades to flush them out means they'd rather avoid more damage to their buildings.  
Din and the others better hurry up and get Paz out of there. Kiergan isn't sure how long they'll be able to keep this going without getting killed.

His concern is soon validated as he thinks it is safe to run from under one tree to another to set another explosive charge and fails to see the Mandalorian hovering right above his position.  
He has a moment of feeling fear when the first couple of blaster shots hits the ground right by his feet, but then someone grabs his arm and he's yanked off balance. His focus is on keeping from falling so he just stumbles along where he's dragged and doesn't really register much before Yurei shoves him against a building under an umbrella tree.

The impact of his back against the wall makes Kiergan grunt but he doesn't protest what is happening. Not at first. But then he sees Yurei is standing far too close, staring at him, those light-devouring eyes burning into Kiergan's very soul, with a slight smile on his lips, and irritation flares up. He even has to flirt on the battlefield?  
“Yurei, this isn't the time!” Kiergan snaps.

Yurei's grin widens a little. His eyes glitter with amusement. “It's the perfect time. With you, it is always the perfect time.”

Annoyed, Kiergan gives him a push to make him back up and create room to enter the fight again, but then Yurei's brow furrows and he suddenly seems a little unsteady on his feet. Red warning lights start going off inside Kiergan's head. “Hey.” He reaches out and grabs Yurei's shoulder. “You okay?”

Yurei nods, but he is starting to fold more and more. “It's nothing...” He exhales a laugh as he lifts a hand to press it to his chest. Within seconds, dark blood is seeping out between his fingers.

“Yurei!” Kiergan rushes forward and gets a hold of him as he sinks down to sit on the ground. “You're hit. Why didn't you... When...” He realizes. “You took that shot for me...”

Yurei leans back until he's lying on the ground, but keeps grinning despite the pain he must be feeling. “You're beautiful when you look worried.”

“Shut up. Stop being weird even when you're bleeding.” Kiergan mumbles, working his way to uncover the wound to assess the situation. “We got to get you out of here.”

“It's nothing.” Yurei repeats, sounding calm and amused. “Don't worry. I can't die.”

Judging by the amount of blood that has already escaped his body, Kiergan is not so sure about that. “I'm going to put a pressure bandage on and...” Pulling up the shirt, revealing the pale skin underneath, Kiergan sees not only the bleeding wound but also several scars after what must have been serious lacerations. He absently pushes the shirt up a little more and sees more scars.

“See?” Yurei says, his voice a lot weaker now and his face wet with sweat. “Can't kill what's already dead.”

Shaking his head, Kiergan ignores the words and gets to work on stopping the bleeding and keeping Yurei alive. “When this fight is over, you and me are going to have a proper talk.” He tightens the bandage, hard. “And you're going to tell me your real name.”

Yurei grins. “I love it when you're barking out orders.”

“How about you 'obey' this order; shut up, and let me stop this bleeding.”

“Kiss me and I'll shut up.”

“Yurei, I swear, I'm going to shoot you myself if you don't shut up.”

-

It's not easy hauling Paz through the narrow corridor, Corin keeps expecting the enemy to catch up with them, but he starts to thank good luck when they make it outside without any trouble. Which is, of course, when bad luck decides it is it's turn to shine.

“Where are you going, big boy?” A voice snarls from behind them and they turn to see a Mandalorian in a blue armor step out of the door they'd exited through mere moments ago. “You are the Lady Katan's guest. And you're not leaving until you give back what is hers. If you want me to pummel your friends before guiding you back to your room, I will happily oblige.”

“You.” Paz mutters with distaste, clearly familiar with this one. “Did she let you off the leash?”

The Mandalorian sneers a laugh. “Still acting tough? Do you know who is still inside here? The one in gray and red, the one who has been looking for you. That one is special, right? Tell me where the saber is, Vizla, or I will hunt them down and rip their helmet off in front of you.”

Paz tenses up and snarls. “You wouldn't.”

“Oh, I would.” There is glee in the voice at the thought. “Because you fear that more than death, don't you? All you weird Children of the Watch.”

It's strange. Corin has been called worse things and the insult is not even directed at him, but the words infuriates him and his fingers brush by the hilt of his blaster. Din does the same.

Paz calmly but firmly frees himself from Din and Corin, and limps a step forward. “Remove her helmet and I'll take off mine, and then you will have 'nothing' you can threaten me with. Nothing!”

The Mandalorian scoffs with utter contempt. “You would never remove yours.”

Paz doesn't hesitate. “Wherever she goes, I go, and that includes into the darkness and the underworld.”

Corin and Din both goes from glaring at the insolent stranger to staring at Paz in mute shock.

“We'll see.” The Mandalorian growls. “I will hunt the gray and red one down and take her helmet.”

“You want my helmet?” Raga's voice says from within the darkness of the corridor. “Here it is.”  
Using her jetpack, she comes flying forward and slams head first into the breastplate of the unfamiliar Mandalorian with such a speed and force that both sparks and the stranger flies through the air. Landing on her feet, Raga clenches her fists and watches the stranger roll to a halt and start getting back up on their feet.  
“Get Paz out of here. Now.” Raga orders on the shared line before she rushes towards her enemy that has drawn their blaster. Raga shoves the blaster aside, reaches out with her free hand to grab them by the neck, yanks the stranger's head down and uses her jetpack for extra power as she leaps up and rams her knee into the enemy's t-visor. And that is Raga just getting started.

Din places Paz' arm around his shoulders again and Corin does the same. Paz hesitates, reluctant to leave Raga, but together Corin and Din manage to pull him away.

They don't get far, though, as someone comes from above and lands directly in front of them.  
It's another Mandalorian. Blue armor. Markings on their helmet. Confident and determined, fearless. Everything about this person makes Corin want to back away from a fight he knows he cannot win. This is someone who would kill him. He can feel Paz' muscles tense up as well, which truly underlines how scary this person must be.

The t-visor of this warrior turns to Paz, then over to Corin, before it settles on Din. “Let me have the Dark Saber and you can have him.” The unfamiliar Mandalorian says.

“We don't have it.” Din replies, tight with wary defensiveness. “Someone stole it.”

“I know.” The stranger confirms with wry amusement. “Paz Vizla did.”

Din freezes, Paz tenses up even more, and Corin frowns at their weird reactions.

After a tense heartbeat, Din recovers. “It doesn't matter. We're taking him with us.”

“No. You won't.” The stranger reaches up and removes their helmet.

Din jolts with horror. Startled, Corin automatically flicks his gaze respectfully down so not to see the face. She actually took off her helmet! She broke her Creed! Just like that! Why?!

“That saber is mine.” A woman's voice. “It belongs to me. And you can't have him until I have it.”

Din gently eases Paz' arm away from himself and lets Corin support Paz by himself and he places a threatening hand on his blaster. “That saber belongs to a Mandalorian, not an imposter. You're no Mandalorian. And I'm taking Paz home, even if it means going through you.”

There is a soft chuckle and the woman's voice has a touch of what sounds like pity. “So you're one of the Children too? My name is Bo-Katan Kryze and I assure you; I am a Mandalorian. Your Way, the Way you were taught, not all Mandalorians are held to it. Yours is the ancient Way, brought back by fanatics like the Vizlas and the Saxons. You have been given 'a' truth, not 'the' truth.”

“Liar.” Din snarls. He draws his blaster from its holster, but holds it by his side instead of aiming at her. “We're leaving.”

“Not until I get the Dark Saber.” The woman's voice is twisted again, which means she has put her helmet back on and Corin dares to glance over again. She has drawn her blaster as well.

Corin hears the sound of Raga violently clashing with that other Mandalorian. He sees a group of Mandalorians hovering mid-air nearby as they hunt for Kiergan and Yurei. But neither Din or the woman after the Dark Saber are moving. Not for the longest time.  
In the blink of an eye, Din lifts his blaster and starts firing at her. “Corin, go! Now! Go, go, go!”

Corin obeys. He turns and pulls Paz along, but the big guy isn't really cooperating. He's hesitating and only reluctantly moves his feet.

“We can't...” Paz mumbles. “We can't leave. He can't fight her alone...”

Clearly Corin had not been wrong about guessing that woman's strength and skill, but he keeps pulling Paz along, haunted by the sounds of blasters being fired and angry shouts. Corin keeps going because... “He's not alone.”

-

Corin knew why Din had hesitated, why he'd drawn out the moment, which is confirmed when he hears Raga roar her fury and Corin glances back in time to see Din roll to safety as she flings the unconscious body of the Mandalorian she'd fought straight into this Bo-Katan and knocks her over.  
Raga follows shortly after, landing on top of Kryze as she's freeing herself of her lackey. She gives a furious kov'nyn to the one who had ordered the kidnapping of Paz. 

Din takes up position next to them and fires a couple of warning shots at the flying Mandalorians abandoning their search for Kiergan and Yurei to head their way in an effort to defend their leader.

Corin glances in the direction of their escape route, sees a small group of Bo-Katan's Mandalorians landing there and he reaches up to activate his mic. “Kiergan, what is your status and location?”

“To your right.” Is the reply, and a glance in that direction reveals the barely visible shape half-hidden behind the trunk of a huge umbrella tree. “I'm fine, but Yurei took a hit. It's pretty bad. He's out of the fight.”

More bad luck. “Dank farric.” Corin mutters.

Din clearly decides to meet his approaching opponents mid-air as they are anything but deterred by the shots. Activating the jetpack, he flies up just as Raga receives an elbow to the helmet from Bo-Katan and the impact sends her to the ground.

Bo-Katan gets up while Raga braces her arms against the ground and throws her leg out in a powerful kick, planting her boot in the woman's mid-section with all her might. Air is forced out of lungs and at least two bones crack under the impact, bringing Bo-Katan back down again.  
Ignoring the battle above her head, Raga rolls and gets up on her feet, quickly stalking towards her prey. She barely twitches at the shots bouncing off her armor as Bo-Katan, lying on her back, has drawn her blaster again and is unleashing her own fury.  
Raga kicks the blaster out of Bo-Katan's hand before she drops to a knee and brings down a vibro blade at the woman's throat. However, Bo-Katan is too fast and the blade digs into nothing but the ground as she dodges and Raga gets several hard punches to her ribs. That only makes her angrier.

Above them, Din slowly spins in a continuous circle and has clearly grabbed an extra blaster from somewhere because he's firing one in each hand, non-stop, at the Mandalorians trying surround him and who are quickly learning that is a very bad idea as he has no intention of letting them.

Both Corin and Paz are momentarily spellbound by the sight of the fighting and it takes a rather painful reminder to snap Corin out of it. One of the flying Mandalorians suddenly remembers their presence and turns their attention, and their weapon, towards them.  
Corin sees the danger and slides in front of Paz just in time for the shot to hit him and not the already injured man. It's like getting a Hammerhead corvette to the chest; the air is knocked out of his lungs and his back smacks into Paz' chest. It's pure luck that makes it so Paz grabs Corin's upper arms and manages to stay upright instead of Corin knocking them both over.

“Corin!” Paz sounds worried. And angry? “You-”

“M fine...” Corin wheezes. And he is fine. The Beskar kept him safe. “Armor... took it...” But they should get behind some cover before the next shot hits somewhere without Beskar. “Have to go...”  
This time Paz doesn't argue with him.

Good luck allows Corin and Paz to make their way over to where Kiergan and Yurei are taking cover. Corin shakes his head at Kiergan reaching out to help him and nods for him to help Paz hobble over to where Yurei is sitting instead. Then Corin cautiously steps forward, staying under the protection of the tree but finds a spot where he is able to steal a peek up at the sky, looking for Din.

Din is now using one of the Mandalorians as a shield, holding them in front of himself with an arm around their throat after disabling their jetpack, still firing a blaster with his left hand. He seems calm and determined, ready to take them all down if they don't back off, which is why it is so startling to see him pause and hesitate.

Corin reaches up and activates his mic. “Din, what's wrong?”

Din's voice is resigned. “Incoming. Two ships. They're getting reinforcements.”

“Uhm, guys?” Heiden's voice suddenly sounds on the line. “There are Mandalorians outside the ship. I know they're wearing helmet, but they still look pissed off...”

A heavy sense of defeat fills Corin as he realizes they've just lost the battle. There is no way they're getting out of here. Two are injured, Heiden is pinned down in a ship he can't fly and while Din and Raga have held back the others at impossible odds, reinforcements will inevitably overpower them. He looks over at Kiergan, who looks scared, Yurei, who looks angry, and Paz, who sitting with his helmet hanging low. Corin activates his mic and speaks on the shared line. “This isn't the end. We just have to stay alive during captivity and others will come for us.”

Corin reaches into his pocket and rummages around until he finds the small device he's learned to always carry. Bad luck can always be defeated by good friends.  
He clicks the emergency beacon Liita had given him.

He just doesn't expect her to arrive as fast as she does.

-

The first group is about ten Mandalorians and they come racing in from the east, forcing Din to drop his shield and dive down to yank Raga away as they aim directly for her and the two of them roll away from Bo-Katan. 

Raga is not grateful for the rescue, Corin notes, as she curses and rams her elbow into Din.  
“We have to go!” Din locks his arms around her to keep her from lashing out again as they lie on the ground and he yells at her, almost equally angry. “Snap out of it!”

Raga breaks free and shoves herself back up on her feet. “You go. Get them out of here. I'll-”

Din uses his jetpack, grabs her and saves her from the barrage of blaster fire hitting the ground where she stood. “Don't be an idiot!”  
She responds by slamming her helmet back against his t-visor and nearly breaks free again, but by then he's managed to get over to where Corin and the others are taking cover and drops her to roll over to where Paz is sitting.

“Raga.” Paz reaches out.

She flinches away and jumps up on her feet. “Don't you dare touch me.” She snarls.

Hurt more by those worse than his injuries, Paz withdraws his hand.

Corin grabs a hold of Din's upper arm. “Are you okay?”

Din nods, keeping his gaze out on the clearing where Bo-Katan is getting up and more and more Mandalorians are surrounding her, eager to aid her cause. “Whatever you do, don't tell these ones you used to be a Storm Trooper. Remember how much Paz loved that? These will feel the same.”

Corin swallows anxiously. He may deserve horrible things for his past, but he's not looking forward to it. “Listen, if you take Paz and Raga grabs Yurei, at least you four can make it out of here? I'll try to keep Kiergan and Heiden safe until you can come back for us.”

Sighing, Din takes a moment before answering. “That's not happening, Corin. Even if it was possible for us to flee, we wouldn't get far as we'd be doubled up on the jetpacks and they'd be chasing us at full power, we either leave here together or we all stay.”

“Why aren't they attacking?” Kiergan asks, looking at Bo-Katan and her followers just standing there.

“Because they want Paz alive.” Raga mutters. “See the Mandalorian expelled to the outer circle of her crew? That's the one who fired at Corin and Paz. They are looking for a way to incapacitate us and not risk killing Paz.”

Corin's gaze scans the surroundings, his mind calculating and considering the situation, but he just can't see a way out that doesn't require a price he's not willing to pay. He's not making another mistake like the one that had cost Hauroko her life. No. Never again.

It becomes a bit of a stalemate with nothing much happening for the next hour except for even more reinforcements arriving to help Bo-Katan, who has decided to turn this into a waiting game. And Corin understands why; for once they've met a decent leader. All she has to do is wait and they will be forced out of their hiding eventually without her having to risk her people's safety.  
Corin and the others have very limited amounts of ammunition, food, water and medical supplies. They are cornered womp rats. While Bo-Katan and her people have all the home advantage, all resources they need and time on their side.

It's when Kiergan does another check on Yurei, who is sitting with his eyes closed for most of the time, and walks over to Corin to mumble; “He's not doing too good. We need to get out of here.” that Corin starts to really feel the pressure. Especially as countless efforts to reach Heiden has resulted in nothing but silence as well.

A faint rumbling catches everyone's attention and Corin feels his final fragment of hope shatter when he sees a large ship come diving down towards them from high above at such speed that flames surrounds it. This will triple Bo-Katan's numbers judging by the size of that thing.  
Any chance of even one or two of them slipping away is now well and truly gone.

Still diving, the ship lowers the massive ramp under its belly and to Corin's shock; he sees shape after shape come diving out from the flames and be carried down towards them at breakneck speed thanks to the jetpacks on their backs.

The ship starts to level out, more shapes keep diving out of its belly, and soon an entire platoon of Mandalorians are heading towards them while their transport turns to head back up towards space.  
One by one, they land in front of where Corin and the others are taking cover, with their backs towards them and their hostile fronts towards Bo-Katan and her crew.

That is when Corin sees the marks on their armors. The shriek-hawk. It's the Vizla clan.

And a solid, broad-shouldered Mandalorian in blue armor lands right in front of Din and Corin. While the Mandalorian's back is turned and their identity a mystery, there is no mistaking the one by their side who had been hitching a ride with them.

Liita gives the massive shoulder a light pat and breaks free of the grip to walk over to Corin. While dressed in blue armor, she's not wearing a helmet or a jetpack. “About time you activated that.”

Corin opens his mouth to ask how she was able to get there so fast, but is then stunned mute when he hears Paz utter with no small amount of disbelief; “Father?”

-

“Dez Vizla.” Bo-Katan says. “It's been a long time. How did you know where to find me?”

“Lady Kryze.” Is the neutral reply. “I'd be a fool not to keep an eye on you.”

Corin can't help but to notice how this makes Paz turns his gaze away from his father to stare at the ground instead and his hands clench into fists.

Bo-Katan exhales a laugh and removes her helmet again like she has no shame about doing it. “You make it sound like we are enemies.” Her eyes narrow. “Are we enemies, Dez?”

“You are holding my son captive, which I won't forgive, even if I were to overlook how you betrayed Pre.” Dez places his hand on the huge blaster by his side.

Tilting her head, Bo-Katan's voice takes on a sharp edge. “At least I've never lied to your son.”

Okay, there is obviously a lot of history here but Corin is clueless as to what they're talking about and his head is already spinning, so he focuses on the one now landing next to Liita. “Barthor?”  
The green armor and slender frame is not to be mistaken, but it is odd to see him with a huge blaster cannon in his arms. Wait. That's Paz' cannon. 

“Hey, _vod._ ” Barthor replies to Corin and shuffles towards Paz. “Paz! I thought you'd might need this.”

“I never thought I'd see you outs-” Paz looks up and sees what he's carrying. The effect is instantaneous. Despite the injuries, Paz flails his way up to stand leaning on his uninjured leg and reaches out to yank the cannon away from him. “Why did you bring it here?!” He then quickly shoves it back into Barthor's arms. “Go back! Fly back to the ship. Now! Get it out of here and...” 

Everyone is staring at them. Bo-Katan. Din. Even Dez Vizla.

Paz yanks the cannon back into his arms and holds it in a defiantly tight grasp despite being barely able to stand and remain standing. Raga reaches out and slaps Barthor's helmet, who yelps and flails his arms in confusion.

“I think we just found the Dark Saber.” Bo-Katan drawls with smug satisfaction.

Dez very carefully draws his blaster. “Time to go, son. We will hold them off.”

“Father...” Paz says, uncharacteristically uncertain.

“We'll talk soon.” Dez replies. “Liita, give Paz my jetpack, then you and Barthor go with him. This will be no place for you.”

Everything goes from eerily quiet to fast forward chaos within seconds. Din grabs Barthor and Raga and orders them to double up with Kiergan and Yurei, while Liita brings the jetpack to Paz and agrees to help him fly. Corin only hesitates for a second before allowing Din to wrap his arm around his waist and pull him close for a jetpack escape. 

Bo-Katan is already leading the attack when they take off and Corin barely hears Liita calling out; “Stay alive, Dad. I'm starting to like you.” before they are rushing back towards the ship and, hopefully, Heiden, while the Vizla clan comes up behind them and becomes a living wall of spite and blaster fire to the ones who tries to follow them.

There are four Mandalorians by the ship, which makes Corin's even more queazy than the flight, but Barthor ducks down to place Kiergan on the ground and darts over to deal with them before anyone else can do anything. Din is dangerously accurate when it comes to battle, Paz and Raga are unstoppable brute force, Barthor is neither of those things. But he is fast. Star above, the man is fast! He might need two shots instead of one, four punches instead of one, but he's so quick about it that his opponent has little to no chance to fight back before they're out of the game.

Corin feels a jolt of relief when they enter the ship and find Heiden sitting on the floor there, but that quickly turns to worry when he sees the tears in his eyes. Kneeling down next to him while the others carry Yurei in and help Paz to his seat, Corin gently touches his shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Heiden nods. He glances over at Corin. “I hid, but they came inside and they were about to find me when... when...”

Suddenly realizing who is missing, Corin looks around and sees no sign of the droid. “Mouse?”

“He got their attention and ran outside.” Heiden closes his eyes and more tears run down his face. “They chased after him and I heard them shooting and when they came back, I heard them argue about whose blaster shot had hit him and who had missed...”

Feeling absolutely horrible, Corin wraps an arm around him and pulls him close. “Heiden... I'm so sorry...” He feels a wave of intense rage at the cruel souls who had hunted down a defenseless droid and killed it. And these people looked down on Din's Tribe? How dared they?

Din sends them an awkward glance, probably aware of how Heiden had lost his friend because he'd been more or less forced to help save his brother.

Liita and Raga disappears into the cockpit and it's not long before the ship shudders and shakes as it begins to lift from the ground, but Corin remains where he is and lets Heiden lean against him and cry his silent tears. It's the least he can do. 

They are picking up speed when Heiden's datapad starts beeping and the former Trooper sits up with a confused hiccup. Looking over, his grief turns into incredulity and he throws himself over to grab the datapad and stabs his finger at it repeatedly before staring at Corin. “It's Mouse! He's alive!” More prodding and Heiden gets more and more wide-eyed. “He's here!”

Corin is too surprised to react fast enough to stop him and can only scramble after him when Heiden darts over and slams the button to open the ramp to everyone's surprise. He grabs a hold of the young man before he can do anything stupid like jump, they are going too fast for him to land without breaking something, most likely his neck, but Corin goes mute with shock yet again as the now open ramp reveals the small, black figure of Mouse racing like crazy after them on the dusty ground in a futile effort to catch up and be saved.  
Even from a distance, Corin can see a large hole in the droid's body, but Mouse is still alive.

“Mouse!” Heiden shouts, tugging to free himself.

Corin automatically holds him back, about to call out for Liita to land the ship again when something silver flies by him. “Din!” Corin shouts, even more shocked and surprised.

Din's jetpack flame flares as he rushes towards the droid and he does a sharp turn once he reaches it, tries to grab it, misses, tries again, gets one hand on it but a bump in the road jostles the droid and he loses his grip, finally on the fifth try he manages to get a hold of the square shape, and quickly heads back towards the ship. Kiergan is standing by the entrance and once Din makes it inside, he presses the button and the ramp closes. Which is probably a good thing as the ship begins to climb towards space.

Din awkwardly places the droid on the floor, Corin lets go of Heiden, and they watch as the badly battered and smoking droid wheels its way over to Heiden with a cough and a rattle. Heiden instantly drops to his knees and hugs it close.

Bubbling with emotion, Corin walks over to Din. “Thank you.”

Din shrugs, still awkward. He then clears his throat and points towards Paz. “I should...”

Yeah, things are quite a mess, there's a million things to process, but for one moment; Corin allows himself to smile.

-

“Where are you, little one?” Zev'sonya calls out, not in the mood to play hide and seek. Her mind is on that stupid blond. He's been acting weird all day and she doesn't like the smug smiles he keeps sending her. He's up to something. And she's not exactly reassured by how she hasn't seen him or that pink airhead since breakfast.  
So when Mose called for help because the little green guy had wandered off into the house where the doors won't allow the Hutt to follow, Zev'sonya wasn't thrilled about the kid's timing. She had more important things to do, like hunting down that man and threaten the truth about his scheming out of him.

“Come on, kid.” Zev'sonya groans as she steps into one of the libraries. “I don't have time for-”  
She comes to an abrupt halt, horrified by what she's seeing.

Din and Corin's son is sitting on the floor, a book in front of him, ears pulled back and nose scrunched with annoyance, but what scares her is the faint, shimmering figure sitting there with him.

As a child, she used to see these things all the time, but they've grown fainter and rarer as time passed by. It's been years since she's seen one. But there is no mistaking what she's seeing; a human man with flowing hair, a scar by his right eye and wearing jedi clothing, sitting cross-legged at the opposite side of the book. And he's talking to the child.

Well, until he realizes that she's staring right at him and can see him.

Zev'sonya swallows hard.

-

Kiergan is tending to Yurei, who despite appearing more dead than alive keeps smirking and asking for Kiergan to kiss and cuddle him. Kiergan looks torn between granting his wish and punching him in the face.  
Heiden is tending to Mouse, gingerly checking the damage with quiet murmurs of reassurance.  
Liita and Raga have barricaded themselves in the cockpit.

Din is kneeling in front of Paz and working on an improvised brace on top of the bacta bandage for his broken ankle, pretending nothing has changed between them and that he has no interest in the blaster cannon by Paz' side. It makes no sense. Why is he acting like this?  
The Dark Saber. Corin had not liked the sound of it from the start and now he's finding he's liking it less and less, and feels incredibly guilty about it as he knows it is important to Din and his Tribe.

Eager to distract himself, Corin turns to Barthor who is sitting next to him with his arms sulkily crossed over his chest.“Can I ask you something?”

Barthor shrugs.

“Were those really Mandalorians? I thought it wasn't allowed to remove helmets in front of others?” Corin doesn't doubt Din's Creed for a second, but that woman... She had removed her helmet several times without hesitation or guilt. And then she put it right back on again and nothing changed. She was still the leader of her people, still a fighter, still a Mandalorian. It was like... it was allowed?

“It's not allowed.” Din states with a voice as hard as Beskar, startling both Corin and Barthor. He sounds angry. Bitter.

Silence follows, then Paz is the one to speak, but in a low, tired tone. “All these years, I've always been adamant about following the rules. Like you. So I know it probably makes me a lesser Mandalorian in your eyes, me being willing to break the Creed, but if she had taken Raga's helmet, I would have-”

“I get it.” Din interrupts, hesitates briefly before looking up at Paz. His voice has gone from Beskar hard to soft. “For the child, for Corin, if it was the only way to save either of them, to be with them, I would have taken it off too. It doesn't make you a lesser Mandalorian, it just proves how much you love her, that you would give up your soul for her.”

Corin stares at Din. Wait, what?

Din reaches up, places his hand behind Paz' neck and Paz leans down for them to meet in a quick and gentle tap of foreheads before he sits back up and Din returns to wrapping his ankle.

Corin can't stop staring. The child, yes. But him? Din would take his helmet off to save HIM?  
He hates himself as he vividly remembers the outline of Din's chin, a teasing hint provided by lights and the t-visor conspiring against Corin, then he feels a jab of panic at the thought of his bad luck being the reason why Din could never put his helmet back on again.  
Corin is most definitely not worth that.  
How is he going to make Din understand and accept this fact?

The rest of the journey is done with a minimal amount of quiet words and lots of tense silence. Kiergan agrees to let Yurei rest his head in his lap when the TIE pilot starts to struggle to form sentences. Paz stares at the door to the cockpit, but Raga hasn't shown herself once. Barthor continues to sulk, Heiden continues to work on Mouse, and Din settles next to Corin with a quiet sigh and a light touch to his hand as if he needs the contact.

Landing on Seswenna is weird. It feels like they left only yesterday and ten months ago at the same time. Raga finally emerges from the cockpit, but she marches right by Paz and leaves the ship without a word his way. Din and Corin helps him walk while Barthor and Heiden helps Kiergan with Yurei.

Liita stares at the hanger with utmost disgust. The clean surfaces seems to offend her.

By the time they make it back, Corin is exhausted. He just wants to hug the little bean close and sleep for fourteen days. He doesn't want to think anymore. He has too many thoughts in his head as it is, too much to deal with already, but even on his luckiest day, nothing could have prepared him for is waiting for him at the Valentis house when the doors open.

A person is standing in the hallway, talking to Andra, but then they turn around as Corin and the others enter the building.

She's older, a lot older than he remembers her, but Corin instantly recognizes that face.

It's Neleem. The togruta who once had looked after him as a child and showed him kindness before she too stopped loving him and left to earn more credits working for a different family with a less difficult child.  
Neleem gives a trying smile. “Hello Corin.”


End file.
